The Eye of the Beholder
by Erika Dyer
Summary: E/C- Modern. A cross between phantom of the opera and Shallow Hal. What happens when shallow Christine is hypnotised into only seeing inner beauty, and then meets the gorgeously handsome Erik? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own POTO or shallow Hal**

_This is a modern E/C story, crossed with Shallow Hal. Shallow Christine is hypnotised into only seeing the inner beauty in people. Whe she meets Erik, she sees the most handsome man in the world. You don't ned to have seen Shallow Hal, but it does help (: _

_Just to say, some of the lines at the end of this chapter are taken from Shallow Hal. Again, I don't own it, so please don't sue me!_

Christine Denton loved her life. As one of the most popular girls in school, everyone wanted to be friends with her, and all the boys wanted to go out with her. This meant she was able to pick the best potential boyfriends from the whole school, and that selection was rather large. Her current boyfriend, Neil, captain of the football team, and overall dreamboat was as close to perfection as it was possible to be. They made the perfect couple, and Christine could not have been happier. Come to think of it, where was Neil? She hadn't seen him all day. Shrugging, she flung her long brown hair over her shoulder. Even though she was only 14 years old, she considered herself fully grown up, and considerably more sophisticated than many of the losers she went to school with. Ignoring the appreciative glances from many of the boys around her, she carried on walking down the corridor, her friends, Meg and Carlotta on either side of her. Both were giggling over something one of them had done at the weekend.

"Christine! Christine, you dropped this." Came a shy voice from behind her.

Christine span around in the corridor, and came face to face with the boy standing before her. The smile which was plastered on her perfectly made up face fell, and was replaced with a scowl. Raoul was one of the biggest nerds in the school. Christine did not associate with nerds. If she was caught talking to _him _it would ruin her carefully built reputation. Too tall, spotty, with glasses, and badly cut hair, the boy was a fashion disaster, and today was no exception. Who in their right mind would wear an orange shirt, with green trousers? And were those_ gold_ shoes? She needed to escape from here immediately!

"What?" She snapped at him.

"You dropped your scarf, Christine." He stammered, holding out the red silk scarf in his hand.

"Oh, right." She grabbed the scarf out of his hand, and turned back around to face her locker.

"Oy, move it." Carlotta shoved Raoul out of the way, and strutted up to Christine. "We have to go to Maths but we'll catch you later, OK Chris."

"OK, Hun. See you later." She air kissed Meg and Carlotta, and they sashayed off down the corridor. It took Christine a few moments before she realised Raoul was still stood near to her. The rest of the corridor was completely deserted, as the next classes had already started.

She gave him dirty look over the side of her locker. "Can I help you?" She asked, scornfully.

"Erm... I was just wondering if you might want to.... I mean...." He stammered, and rung his hands together.

"Well, spit it out. I haven't got all day." She tapped her high heeled foot on the floor impatiently. If Neil or any of her other friends caught her taking to Raoul, she would be teased to no end.

"Well... How are you? We haven't spoken in ages, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to..."

"Wait a minute here." Christine slammed her locker shut, and turned to face him. "Are you asking me out?" She burst out laughing, and had to cling onto the locker to steady herself. "Listen to me." She finally managed to speak after her laughter died down. She approached him, causing him to move backwards, almost tripping over his overly long trousers. "Girls like me don't talk to boys like you."

"I...erm..." He stammered yet again, clearly heavily regretting his plan of action.

"You are a loser. I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last boy on earth." She turned around then and strutted away, leaving poor Raoul standing in the deserted corridor.

_11 years later._

Christine Denton awoke to the delicious smell of bacon. She stretched languorously, and for a couple of blissful seconds she forgot about what had happened the previous day, but slowly she remembered, and she groaned.

"Good morning." Came a cheery voice from the door "Wakey wakey." Meg came bustling into the room, tray in hand, laden with a full English breakfast. She dumped the tray on Christine's knee, and swept open the curtains.

Christine blinked at the light, and covered her eyes with her hand. "I think I just lost my corneas." She muttered, covering her eyes with her hand to block out the bright sunlight. "I don't think I can manage anything to eat Meg?" She moved the tray off her knee before the snowy white duvet cover become covered in beans.

"Well you've got to eat something. You can't work all day on an empty stomach."

"I do it every day."

"Well you shouldn't. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Meg grinned at her, before she began picking up Christine's discarded clothes from the floor.

Christine gave Meg a withering look, before dragging herself out of bed. "Thanks Meg. I'll try to eat some of it, but will you quit acting like my mother, and leave my clothes where they are.

"Sorry Chris, I can't help it. You know me, I can't abide mess."

Christine knew she could not stay with Meg for long. They would end up driving each other insane due to Meg's OCD.

Once she began eating, she realised how hungry she actually was, and soon the plate was empty. Usually she just downed a mug of black coffee, and set off to work. Although her stomach felt full, she still felt achingly empty after the events of last night.

The day had been just an average normal day. She had been worked off her feet at the restaurant where she was a waitress, and had been looking forward to surprising her boyfriend, by going around to his house. She had been going out with him for the past few months, and so far things seemed to be going well. Daniel was gorgeous, tall, dark haired, and had deep blue eyes. Except now she realised they were infect shallow pools which she had foolishly dived headfirst into, only to realise too late, causing herself unfathomable pain. She had come home, laden with shopping, wanting to surprise him, only to find him in bed with another woman. Too shocked to do anything else, she had simply run out of the flat. He had called out her name, and may have tried to follow her, but she was too fast and just wanted to get away as fast as possible. She had really thought Dan was different, but he was just like every other jerk she had been out with. What was it with her that made her choose men who were absolute bastards? He had tried to ring her a few times, no doubt ready to spew out some ridiculous excuse, but she refused to pick up. She just couldn't get the image out of her head of the naked blonde who had been sat astride her boyfriend, and seeing him again would just be far too painful.

She had come straight to her best friend Meg's, not wanting to go back to her empty flat. Both Meg and her mother had told her she was going far too fast with Dan, but she had refused to listen, too enthralled by her gorgeous new boyfriend. The fact that he didn't have two brain cells to rub together didn't even seem a factor. He was a male model for Christ's sake. He couldn't have been more perfect. Yet still, he turned out to be a cheating scumbag. Meg had been wonderfully understanding, giving her ice cream, and saying how much better off she was without him, and generally acting as a best friend should. Now it was the next day, and she still felt awful. Life didn't stop because of a man however, and she had to go to work. The idea of going there this morning filled her with dread, but she dragged herself into the shower nether the less, and began to get ready.

She stood beneath the powerful shoots of Meg's expensive power shower, her face turned upwards, eyes closed, letting the water wash away the pain of yet another heartbreak. It was infinitely refreshing, and made her feel much better.

Once she left the flat, and made it to work she was feeling awful once more. She couldn't get the image of Daniel and that woman out of her mind. No matter how many times Meg told her he was a bastard, and she deserved better, she still felt miserable. She couldn't stop herself from thinking it was her fault. Had she done something wrong, or not done something which made him do it? Was she just a bad girlfriend and no man in their right mind would be happy with her? Her misery infringed on her work, and she ended up bringing people the wrong food three times, causing her boss to yell at her.

"Bloody hell Christine! What is with you today? Can't you do anything right?"

"I'm so sorry Mr Harrison. I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment." She mumbled, as he glared at her from over the bar.

"Well, you need to snap out of it, if you want to keep this job Miss Denton."

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry." She said, before walking away towards the kitchen. "Bastard." She muttered under her breath, when she was sure he was out of earshot. She carried on muttering curses as she dumped the dishes on the side.

Mr Harrison had to be the worst boss she had ever had. When he wasn't yelling at her for not doing the job perfectly, he would leer at her in a way which made her feel very uncomfortable. The man gave her the creeps, and she wanted nothing more than to quit. She needed the job though, and there didn't appear to be anything better on the horizon at the moment. The restaurant itself was a very nice place to work. Situated on the top floor of a multi story building of a large computer business, it was the ideal place for working lunches between wealthy businessmen and women. In her time working there, she had actually met quite a few celebrities, and a couple were even regulars. Not that they ever paid her any attention. She was just a waitress, and therefore not worthy of anyone's time. All the same, it was quite fun star spotting with her colleague and friend Beth. Beth was the only one at the restaurant who she actually got on with, but unfortunately she wasn't in work today, so she couldn't talk to her about last night. The morning seemed to drag on forever, but eventually 12 o'clock came around, and she could escape for her half hour break.

She stood waiting for the lift, to go down. She smiled briefly at the tall red haired woman who was also getting in. She could swear she had seen her before, but where?

Finally the lift arrived, and they stepped in. She couldn't believe it was only lunch time. She had four more hours to go before she could head back to Meg's, where she had promised a night of Chick flicks and Ben and Jerry's. She found herself looking forward to it, and actually began to smile. Suddenly, she was thrown to one side of the lift, as it jarred to a halt, and the lights flickered, before thankfully staying on.

_What the...? Oh no, this can't be happening! _Christine never liked taking the lift at the best of times. However, going up 57 floors everyday would kill her.

"Hey, are you ok?" her companion managed to steady her before she fell over. She seemed much calmer than Christine was who could feel the fear and anxiety take hold of her.

"Yer, I think so. You?" She stated wide eyed at the women, trying to steady her heavy breathing.

"I think it's broken down" said the other woman.

"Oh no, this is my worst nightmare come true." She stabbed at the alarm button, and then almost every other button on the large dial, but nothing happened.

"I don't think we have any choice but to wait until someone finds us." Said the redhead.

She stared at her, dumbfounded. For the first time all thoughts of Dan, Mr Harrison or broken lifts disappeared from her head. "I thought I knew you from somewhere! Your Cynthia Hudson!"

The stunning woman smiled at her, and chuckled, obviously used to this sort of reaction. She did not seem annoyed however, merely amused.

"I can't believe it. I'm stuck in a lift with Cynthia Hudson!" Christine squealed. "I love your show. I watch it all the time. You've helped so many people change their lives. You're incredible."

"Thank you very much. I'm glad you like the show."

"I'm Christine." She shook Cynthia's hand warmly, still grinning excitedly. "So what are you doing here? You're not filming a show are you?" Christine squeaked in delight.

"No, I'm here with my husband for a few days. I was meeting someone for a drink in the restaurant upstairs. I think I saw you there. Do you work here?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Christine grimaced.

"You did look a bit annoyed when I saw you."

"That obvious was I?"

Cynthia laughed, and shook her head. "Not really. I am just rather apt at people watching. So, what happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's a long story." Christine settled down on the floor of the lift, and Cynthia soon followed suit.

"I have a feeling we are going to be here for a long time, so if you want to tell me, I'm all ears."

Several hours passed by, and Christine found herself telling everything to Cynthia. She told her about Dan, and every other boyfriend she had dated within the past few years. She spoke of her worries about how she would never find a decent man, and how she felt it was her own fault that all her relationships ended in disaster.

"....so it's over. Just like that." She snapped her fingers. They were sat on the floor of the lift, each leaning against one wall, munching on crisps which Christine had found in her bag. "I just don't understand why men do this to us." She wailed.

"You sound like you've had some pretty bad relationships then."

"Tell me about it. Every man I ever go out with turns out to be a cheating scumbag, steals from me, or in one case, physically abusive."

"Do you have any idea why that is?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's my fault. I can be very picky, but surely that's a good thing, right?"

"That depends. What are you picky about?"

Christine shrugged. "I guess I still have this image of my perfect man, and very few live up to that expectation"

"So what's this perfect guy like then?"

"Well, he's tall, but not too tall, I don't want to be dwarfed you know. 6 ft 2 would be perfect. He has to have dark hair, not too long, but not too short, and slightly wavy. Greeny blue eyes, and long eyelashes, but still manly. I don't want him looking like a girl." She giggled. "Good teeth too. He has to have a strong jaw, like Brad Pitt, with a little bit of stubble, but not too much, and cheek bones kind of like Johnny Depp's. As for his body, he has to have muscles, but not too much. I don't want to be dating Michelin Man." She paused to laugh, before continuing. "As for how he dresses, I love a man in a suit, but he has to look good casual too. I don't want him to be obsessed with how he dresses though. It can be very annoying if you're waiting for him to get ready, rather than the other way around. "

"Is that it?" Cynthia laughed.

"I think so. Well it's all I can think of now anyway."

"I think I may know where you're having problems, Christine."

"You do! Can you help me?"

"Don't you think you're being rather shallow, in what you look for in a man? You haven't mentioned what he's like as a person once."

"Oh. Well of course he has to be into the same stuff as me, and romantic, and thoughtful, and most importantly, faithful. These are all the things I want but I never seem to be able to find." She exclaimed, exasperated.

"I think I may be able to help you Christine. You're looking for the wrong things. This man you're describing does not exist, and even if he does, he will be just like all those others you've dated." Cynthia stood up, and urged Christine to do the same. "You seem a great person Christine, but you are way too fixated on outer appearances. I am going to do something for you, which will change your life for the better."

"Really?" Christine beamed.

"Ok, this is how it will work." Cynthia placed her hands on Christine's shoulders, and motioned for her to close her eyes. "From this moment on, whenever you meet someone, you are only going to see what is on the inside. So you will respond to that, because that, my friend is where the true beauty lies. What if I told you that you could have the most amazing, gorgeous man in the world, and he would adore you with all his being, and make you happier than you have ever been in your life."

"Is this what you do in your shows?"

"No, this is very special. It's just for you. Now close your eyes, and I want you to imagine you are on a beach. The sun is shining, and there's a light breeze running through your hair. You're looking into the eyes of a man, and you're feeling his heart, you're feeling his soul, you're feeling his spirit....."

**AN- I know this chapter wasn't great, but it gets better, i promise! Oh, and remember to review! (:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer-Once again, i do not own POTO, or shallow Hal. **

_Thanks for the reviews everyone! _

When Christine finally managed to get out of the lift, it was nearly the end of the day. Mr Harrison would probably be going insane, and she may even get fired. After her little chat with Cynthia, she found that she could not care less anymore. She wasn't even thinking about Dan. In fact, she was feeling much better than she had in a very long time.

Mr Harrison was in a terrible mood, as she suspected, but thankfully he knew about the broken lift. Apparently the whole building had been in uproar about it. He simply issued her with some gruff instructions, and carried on pretending to tidy the bar. Something he seemed to make a habit of.

For the next half hour before her shift was over, she happily served customers, and cleared away tables. The time in the lift had saved her from three hours of work, so it wasn't a total waste of time. As for the encounter with Cynthia Hudson, she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. She didn't feel much different, apart from that she felt a lot happier than she had in a long time.

She didn't even mind having to wait for the bus in the rain when there were no seats left. She smiled at a very cute looking guy with short dark hair, who was sat at the bus stop with her.

"Hi." She smiled at him.

"Hi" He smiled back at her. "Would you like my seat? You look like you're getting pretty wet there."

"Oh no. I'm fine, really."

"Don't be silly. What kind of man would I be if I didn't give up my seat to a lady?" He stood up, and moved out of the way.

_A normal man. _She thought in answer to his question, as she took the seat he offered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He had the most adorable smile, and she couldn't help but smile with him.

"I'm Alex."

"Christine." She smiled shyly at him, and moved over, so he could sit next to her, even though there wasn't much room.

After a few moments awkward silence he spoke. "You know, I see you at this bus stop every day and this is the first time I have dared speak to you." He flashed her dazzlingly handsome smile, before looking away nervously.

Christine smiled back. "Well actually, it was I who spoke to you." She corrected.

"Exactly. I would never have dared."

"Really?" He was so handsome, she highly doubted he would be nervous talking to women. "I'm sorry, but I can't say I have noticed you here before."

With Christine's normal experience with men, they would be offended, or come back with a cocky remark at this statement. Not to be noticed was the greatest insult for men. Alex simply shrugged. "Well I'm hardly surprised about that. Someone as beautiful as you wouldn't notice me."

Christine raised her eyebrows in surprise. Although he was acting slightly strange, Alex was very cute. Perhaps whatever Cynthia had done to her was working already. She did not feel ready to test the hypothesis quite yet however. The man could easily be a male model, just as Dan had been, and she most definitely didn't need to date another of those.

"So what do you do, and please don't tell me you're a male model, because then I may just scream."

At this he simply stated at her incredulously, and then burst out laughing, causing a few other people to give them odd looks. "A model! Me!" He howled with laughter, clutching at the side of the bus stop.

Christine did not get the joke, and simply stared at him, feeling very confused.

"No, I'm not. I'm a doctor actually. I've just graduated from med school." He managed to say after he finally stopped laughing. "And yourself?"

"At the moment I'm just waitressing. There doesn't seem to be many jobs for music graduates right now." She sighed.

At that moment, her bus arrived, pulling to a halt just in front of her, the spray of water it created only narrowly missing her.

"Well, this is me. Goodbye Alex"

"Goodbye Christine. It was lovely talking to you." He grinned at her, obviously still laughing at her "model" comment.

She smiled back at him, as she hurried on the bus, and grabbed a seat. That had been a very odd exchange, the thought, smiling to herself as the bus set off down the street.

.............

"So she just cast this spell on you which will make you find a man?" Meg stared at Christine over her mug of tea, which Christine had just made. She had just spent the past few minutes going over her encounter with Cynthia in the lift. Meg had been out the previous night, and so it was the next morning before she got an opportunity to tell her about it.

"No, it wasn't a spell. I don't know what it was really, but she said I would find the man of my dreams or something like that. Something about finding inner beauty." She shrugged her shoulders, and stirred her tea.

Meg laughed , causing her to nearly choke on her own tea. "You! Inner beauty! I'll believe that when I see it."

"What do you mean by that?" Christine asked, incredulous.

"Well, no offence sweetie, but you are kind of shallow."

"I am not shallow. Name one occasion when I have been shallow!"

"Sorry, but I don't have the time to write the book Chrissie. If you want one occasion, then how about Raoul?"

"That was a very long time ago, Meg." Christine was starting to become annoyed now. It was just like Meg to start dragging up the past. "Believe it or not but I have changed a hell of a lot since high school!"

"I know you have, but that poor guy was crazy about you, and you wouldn't even give him a chance." Meg was remaining characteristically cool, whilst Christine was becoming more stressed by the minute. "You were best friends in nursery school, and then you stopped talking to him. OK so he wasn't exactly "cool", but he was sweet in a geekish kind of way."

Christine did not want to talk about Raoul. What happened in the past should stay in the past, as far as she was concerned. She knew she had been a total bitch where he was concerned, but she had been childish and shallow. She wasn't still that shallow though, was she?

"Look, I had better be going." Christine grabbed her bag, which was hanging on the back of the chair, and headed towards the door. "I need to go back to work."

Meg shook her head, clearly exasperated. Trying to get Christine to talk about the past was always a bad idea, and often ended in an argument.

"Don't forget about tonight. We're off to that new bar remember."

"Oh yes. What time do you want to meet?" Christine was infinitely thankful for the change in subject.

"How about half seven at the bar?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you there." She was getting very late now, and had to run out the door in order to catch the bus.

.........

Erik Caveliere stood in the shadows, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He hated being in places like this, even if he did own the place. He had seen that a local bar was going up for sale, and on a whim had decided to buy it, and turn it into a piano bar. Somewhere where people could come to relax, and listen to good music. There were too many places nowadays that played over loud noise, placed in the category of music. After 6 months it was finally ready, had opened just last week. He had reluctantly agreed to go along tonight, due to his friend Kamir's insistence, who he had hired to manage the bar.

"_If you don't come, then I'm afraid I'll have to quit." He had told him after Erik had point blank refused to attend. _

"_You can't quit. You already signed the contract." Erik came back "Besides, I know what you're like. You would never turn an opportunity to make money." _

"_Ah, you know me too well my friend. However, that will not change anything. You're coming." Kamir grinned at him, from where he was stood by Erik's huge marble fire place. "You're the boss Erik, and you haven't even seen the place you own." _

"_I have seen it. I designed the layout." _

"_That's not what I meant, and you know it. You haven't seen it open yet. Don't you want to see how successful it is?"_

"_I've seen the figures for last week, so I know it is a success." _

"_Come on Erik, you have to come. You never know what I may get up too when you're not there."_

_Erik glared at him menacingly, but Kamir simply carried on smirking. "Fine." He spoke through gritted teeth. "But I'm not staying for long."_

"_Brilliant." Kamir rubbed his hands together in glee. "Now what do you say to being thrashed at cards, and my taking all your money?"_

"_You haven't beaten me yet Kamir, but I'm willing to give you another go." Erik finally smiled. Something he rarely ever did. _

_The rest of the night had gone pleasantly enough, and Kamir had only lost a few hundred, before giving up, and surrendering defeat yet again. He didn't know how he did it, but Erik always won. _

So, here he was. Kamir had somehow persuaded him to stay longer than his original plan to leave after 10 minutes. To be totally honest, he couldn't face going back home just yet. He was able to stick the shadows quite effectively, or disappear into his office. The place really was a wonderful bar. It took up the entire basement of a block of offices, and so was not easy to find, but it gave it a certain exclusivity appeal. The walls were covered with real candelabras, and so the light cast was dim, and flickered eerily. The soft piano music was perfect, and in keeping with the ambiance of relaxed chatter. It was just what he had been aiming for. After closing, he would be able to work on his music undisturbed, and yet would not have to face the utter loneliness of his empty house. The piano was of excellent quality, and whilst it couldn't provide as much dramatic passion as his organ, it would be fine for writing his music with. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. Although he was only 35 years old, he had never had much hair, especially on one side of his head. Having been born with a hideous facial deformity. He knew all too well that he looked like a monster, and he had long since come to terms with his hideous appearance. It was still hard having to come out into public however, and so he always stuck to the shadows whenever it was possible.

"I see you're enjoying yourself then." Came Kamir's voice from behind him. "Always the heart and soul of the party aren't you?"

There was no one else who could talk to Erik like Kamir did. He was the only one who could joke with him about his habits. Erik wanted to come back with a comment about how it was hard to be the heart and soul of a party when you had a face like his, but decided not to bother. Such comments never had much of an effect on Kamir. He would probably just say something along the lines of how ridiculous he was being. Instead, he simply glared at him, and shrunk further back into the shadows.

"What do you think then? Is it up to Erik Caveliere's standards?"

"It will do I suppose." He replied.

"Praise from Caesar." Kamir declared. "Coming from you, that's amazing. Anyway, I'd better get back to work. Those gorgeous women over there won't serve themselves." Kamir disappeared over to the bar, where a couple of women were waiting to be served. Anything that involved the opposite sex would immediately catch Kamir's attention. He watched him flirting with mild amusement, as he began trying to impress them with his cocktail making skills.

He found his gaze moving past Kamir towards the door, where he saw a bunch of people coming in. Amongst them, he saw a woman. From what he could see, she was not part of the crowd coming in the door, but was alone. She was also stunning. Long chestnut curls cascaded down her back, like a chocolate waterfall. She was wearing a long black dress, which was simply cut, with a halter neck top, but on her it looked glamorously sensual. From where he was stood, he could not make out her facial features, but he was instantly drawn to her. It was apparent she was not with the people who had just entered with her, as they dispersed as they came in, leaving her stood on the steps. She gazed around her, evidently looking for someone. She was probably meeting her boyfriend here. No one that exquisite could be single. For one moment, it looked as if she was staring right at him, but he was so shrouded in darkness he knew she couldn't possibly see him. However, he moved further back into the corner, just in case. He didn't want to scare her. Catching a monster staring at you would terrify anyone.

.........

As Christine came down the steps to the underground bar Meg had told her about, she couldn't help but be impressed. The place was amazing. The soft candlelight flickered, creating the perfect atmosphere for a classy wine bar, the live piano music a perfect accompaniment to the surroundings. She hated the loud pop music of most of the bars in town. She much preferred this place, where one could actually speak without shouting to be heard.

She glanced around her, searching for Meg, but she didn't seem to be there yet. She decided to go and get herself a drink, and would then go and wait for her somewhere out of the way. The bar seemed to have many dark corners, where one could easily hide away without being noticed.

Sipping her strawberry daiquiri, she had ordered from the bar, she made her way over to the far corner of the room, which looked perfect for people watching, and gave her a good view of the doorway, for when Meg came in.

She had just slipped into the shadows, when she came across what she originally thought was a very solid wall . On closer inspection, he realised it was a man. " Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." She glanced up into the face of the man she had walked into, and suddenly forgot everything she had been about to say. He was beautiful. There was simply no other word to describe him. Never had she seen such perfection in the male species. "That's quite alright." He replied, before shrinking further into the shadows.

Piercing green eyes stood out from beneath thick dark lashes, which seemed to bore into her very soul. They also seemed to contain an immense pain. Why she knew this she couldn't quite put her finger on, but she swore it was there. She was instantly aware that this man was not an average attractive guy. He had suffered a great deal, but it only added to his beauty. Her gaze moved from his eyes to the rest of his face. He had perfectly formed cheekbones, and a strong jaw, covered in a light sprinkling of dark stubble. His hair was very dark, but she couldn't tell the exact colour due to the darkness of the corner they were standing in.

She was about to move away and find somewhere else to stand, as he probably did not want to be disturbed, but suddenly decided against it. It was a free world, so why couldn't she stand with him. He was alone, and she didn't want to miss out on any chance she may have to talk with this gorgeous man.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked, giving him her best smile. Not waiting for an answer, she leaned against the wall and pulled out her phone in order to text Meg, trying to ignore the gorgeous man who was standing right next to her.

**AN-Remember to review, and please point out any spelling/grammar mistakes, so I can change them. **


	3. Chapter 3

_AN- I have been having a few problems with this story where Erik is concerned. I spent a long time deciding whether he was going to wear a mask or not. I decided he was, but then changed my mind, so i have made a few changes to the previous chapter. I think the story works better if Erik doesn't wear a mask. So, you can picture him as a Gerik, but worse. He isn't Leroux Erik though, as I doubt he could go out to bars very easily! _

Erik had been standing in the same place for the past 10 minutes. His attention had moved past Kamir's antics at the bar, and he had found his mind wondering to the opera he was currently writing. Just as he was about to move away to the office where he could write down his ideas, someone ran straight into his side.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Came a sweet feminine voice, interrupting his thoughts. Glancing down, he felt the breath being sucked from his body. It was her, the woman he had spotted coming into the bar earlier. From a distance he had thought her stunning, but up close he was within no doubt that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had large sky blue eyes, a small nose ever so slightly turned up, and luscious red lips, which turned up into a shy smile when she saw him. He took in all her features instantly, knowing she would move on at any moment. People rarely wanted to stay in his company for very long. No doubt she would be terrified at having bumped into a him hiding in the shadows.

When those perfect lips turned into a gorgeous smile, and she asked if she could join him, he was totally thrown off. No one ever wanted to join him, especially women, and even more so someone as beautiful as she. Normally very eloquent, Erik could control any conversation no matter how uncomfortable he felt. This was entirely new territory for him. Women were an enigma he would never understand, but luckily he was rarely forced to converse with them. Their looks of fear and disgust were enough to put him off having anything to do with them.

"Sure." He managed to mutter.

"Thanks." She leaned back on the wall, and proceeded to tap away on a mobile phone she had retrieved from her bag, totally unaware of his inner turmoil. He couldn't help but gaze at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed to be having no problems with standing with him. In fact she was totally ignoring him now. When her eyes flicked over to him, he snapped his eyes back to staring ahead of him. Oh lord! He had no idea what to do in this situation. Should he try to talk to her, or just leave her? He did not have to make the decision however, as she spoke first.

"So, do you come here often? This is the first time I've been here. I'm supposed to meet my friend her, but she's late, which is typical of her. I love the music. It's so different from what you usually get in bars. I just hate all that repetitive noise they usually play." She turned her eyes to him, and blushed a deep shade of red. "I'm sorry. I tend to ramble sometimes. Please tell me to stop if I talk too much."

"That's fine." Come on, think man! You must be able to think of something to say to her.

She giggled. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard in his life. "You don't say much do you? Very dark and mysterious, but I guess I like that in a man."

Was she fluttering her eye lashes at him? She probably just had something in her eye. If he hadn't known any better he would have thought she was flirting with him, but of course he knew far too much better. He knew he was staring at her with his mouth wide open.

"I'm Christine." She stuck out her hand for him to shake. Erik simply stared at it for a few seconds before regaining a small amount of sense, and shaking her hand.

After a few moments, she spoke again. "This would be the point where you tell me your name." She prompted, still grinning at him.

"Erik." oh how he despised himself for his idiocy at that moment. "I'm Erik." He repeated.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Erik."

"And you too." He was still shaking her hand, as she seemed to be making no move to remove it from his grasp. People usually refrained from making any physical contact with him if at all possible. He found himself marvelling at how small and soft her hand was compared to his much larger callused one. He finally managed to extract his hand from hers, and yet it still felt warm from where she had held it.

"Are you waiting for someone as well?" Christine asked.

"No. My friend who works here dragged me, and I'm trying to stay out of the way." Erik found himself smiling weakly down at her. Seeing as she wasn't staring at him like everyone else did, and actually seemed to be interested in him, he decided to try to relax and enjoy being in her company. What harm could talking to her do, and she was free to leave at any point.

"Ah, a good idea. I guess that's what I'm doing too, plus I have an excellent view of the door for when my friend finally comes, and in the mean time I can people watch."

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you." So she did want to be alone and just wanted this spot. Erik felt dejected, which was silly seeing as he had no reason to think she would want to stay with him.

"Don't be so ridiculous." She laughed, throwing her head back, her eyes glittering, and her hair rippling with the movement. "I had planned on people watching, but I met you instead." She murmured seductively. _Seductively? _She almost sounded as if she were flirting with him. Ridiculous! "So, what do you do when you're not skulking in shadows at bars?"

"This and that." So she _did_ want to stand with him. Erik was so confused.

"You _are _very mysterious aren't you? What exactly does "this and that" mean?"

"Have you ever heard of Caveliere computing?"

"Of course I have. Pretty much every computer in the world is made by them. So you work there?"

Erik paused before answering her. He didn't want to tell her the truth. People always changed when they found out he was one of the richest men in England. He loved talking to this woman too much to ruin it. "Sort of." He answered, not feeling comfortable with lying to her. He also didn't want to mention that he owned the bar. It would simply raise too many questions, and he preferred to remain anonymous. Realising his answer was somewhat strange he carried on talking about the first thing he could think of. "What I am most passionate about is my music. It is my dream to write a great opera one day."

Erik had no idea what possessed him to say that. He barely even talked about his opera to Kamir, and here he was blurting out his inner most dreams to this woman he barely knew. He guessed it had something to do with the fact that no one ever seemed to care what his hopes and dreams were. All they saw when they looked at him was a monster, and not the man he was. This girl though, this beautiful angel looked as if she had never heard anything so fascinating in all her life.

"You write opera! You're right, that is much more interesting than the computer business thing. What's your opera about?"

Erik then found himself describing his opera to her. He even told her where he was experiencing problems, and about how frustrated he often became with it. He had never talked to anyone like this before. If Kamir could see him now, he would think he had been possessed by the spirit of someone else.

...................

Christine had never met anyone like Erik in all her life. Not only was he drop dead gorgeous, but he was fascinating to talk to. He loved music, and he wrote opera. Many of the things he said told her that they would have a lot more in common as well. He was an absolute dream. As she listened to him talk about his opera, she found herself becoming lost in his eyes, and was overcome with the urge to kiss him so badly. Of course she refrained. She would never be that bold.

Another thing she loved about him was that he asked her questions about herself, and genuinely seemed interested in her answers. She told him about her job, and their shared passion for music. Usually guys were all over her when she started to talk to them, and she was pleasantly surprised at this man's behaviour. Not that she would complain if he was all over her. Just the thought of being ravaged by him in this dark corner brought her out in a deep blush once again. It was only then that she realised he had stopped talking, and they were simply staring into each other's eyes. Oh Lord she wanted to kiss him so badly, but she wasn't some horny teenager who went out to bars on the pull. She was brought out of her reverie, by a flurry of cold wind from the door. She tore her gaze from his, and saw that Meg had just come in and was looking around her, obviously for her.

"Oh.. well my friend's here now, so I'd better go. It was nice talking to you" She smiled at him as she walked away backwards, before spinning around, and walking towards Meg.

"Hey Hun. So sorry I'm late." Meg hurried over to meet her half way across the room. "Have you been stuck on your own?" Meg pulled a sympathetic face.

"Not exactly." Christine grinned. "I met someone. He's just over..." She span around to show Meg where Erik had been in the corner, but he was gone. "Well he was over there just a second ago." She turned back around, disappointed.

Meg laughed. "Looks like he made a quick escape."

Christine glared at her, before strolling over to the bar. "I'm dying for a drink. I'll get this round. What do you want?"

"I hear this place does amazing cocktails, so i think I'll have one of them." Meg followed her over, and picked up a drinks menu from the bar.

A few minutes later they were sitting in one of the alcoves, sipping strawberry daiquiris contentedly. Although the night was fun, Christine couldn't totally relax. She kept thinking about the mysterious Erik. What was it about him she found so devastatingly attractive, and why had he just disappeared?

"Earth to Christine." Meg sang, waving her hand in front of Christine's face. "Who are you looking for?"

"Huh? Oh...no one. So what were you saying?"

"It doesn't matter. I was just asking how you were coping after the Dan incident

"Oh _him. _I'm fine." It was the first time she had been asked that, when the answer was actually true. Dan could go an sleep with every woman in England for all she cared.

"Well, i'm glad. The guy was a pig, and you can do much better. Another drink?" Meg asked, to which Christine nodded. "I'll get this one." Meg left Christine to go to the bar. It was then that Christine noticed the piece of paper stuck to the wall next to their alcove.

_Bar singer wanted 10 hours a week in evenings  
apply at the bar. _

It was perfect. She loved to sing, and many people had told her she had a wonderful voice. If she got a job somewhere like this in the evenings, she could keep her waitressing job during the day. She really needed the extra cash as well. Chances were, she would be nowhere near good enough, but she might as well apply. She loved this place already, and she knew she would love working here. What did she have to lose?

As Meg came back over carrying two more daiquiris, Christine asked her what she thought about it. She seemed very enthusiastic, and urged her to apply.

Feeling optimistic, she went over to the bar, which thankfully was empty now.

"Hi." She said to the barman. A dark skinned young man, with twinkling blue eyes. He was very attractive, but he couldn't hold a candle to the tall, dark and handsome Erik. "I wanted to enquire about the singing job you have advertised over there."

"Ah, brilliant." He began searching beneath the bar for something. "We have had a lot of interest tonight. How much experience have you had? You sung in a bar before?"

Christine bit her lip. "No, but I have a degree in music, and I have sung on stage before. I do believe I can sing. People say I can anyway." She laughed nervously.

"Wow, well a degree in music is impressive. You'll need to audition though."

"Of course." Christine grinned.

"If you would just fill in this application please. " He handed her a piece of paper and a pen, he had retrieved from beneath the bar.

"Thanks." Christine took the form, and the pen he had given her. "Do you need my CV or anything as well?"

"Nar, that'll be enough love. The audition is the main part. Just bring that back over when you're done."

Christine sped back over to Meg, grinning. If she got this job, it would be fantastic. At the back of her mind was also the thought that she may see Erik again if she worked here. She only hoped he wasn't simply visiting, and she would never get to see him again.

After filling in the form she rushed back over to the barman, who took it and told her they would ring her later in the week if they wanted her to audition. Even though she had little experience in public singing, she was hopeful of at least getting an audition.

She had a few more drinks with Meg, and then they went home. Overall it had been a very pleasant evening. She had kept a look out for Erik, but he really had just disappeared. She found herself wondering if he had been a figment of her imagination. Surely no man could be that gorgeous and fascinating at the same time.


	4. Chapter 4

**I still don't own anything!**

_Just to make something clear. It is not that Christine sees her ideal man in every good man she meets. She is able to see people's inner beauty, and in doing so, this will lead her to her ideal man. Hope that makes it clearer. (: _

_Also, i thought i would mention that there is a reason for Chrostine's shallowness, and we will learn more about it as the story progresses. I have already written a good few chapters, so it's quite well planned. Hope you enjoy, and remember to review! _

As soon as the beautiful Christine had left to meet her friend, Erik had decided to take the opportunity to leave. He had known that coming here had been a bad idea. He left through the back entrance, not bothering to tell Kamir first. He wouldn't miss him, and he knew he hadn't planned on staying for long anyway. All he knew was that he needed to leave. Meeting Christine had affected him more than he liked to admit and he had to leave before he did something very stupid.

............

Three days later, Christine had concluded that she had probably not got the job. She came home from work, knackered, and gave the answering machine a quick glance, but the only message left was from her mother, wittering on about visiting her with her latest husband. He was either the sixth or the seventh. Christine had lost count, and any interest in her mother's affairs. She stabbed at the button, deleting the message before it was finished. Hearing from her mother was the last thing she wanted. Actually, it came a close second to actually seeing her in person.

Picking up the mail on the floor, she chucked it on the sideboard. She couldn't face dealing with bills right now. Today at the restaurant had been particularly bad. One customer had actually yelled at her, when his order wasn't right. Just because she was a waitress, people thought she was stupid, and that they could treat her like shit. She hated that job so much, but the bills needed paying, and she had no other choice.

Collapsing on the sofa, she turned on the TV, and closed her eyes. She had been looking forward to tonight all day. All her favourite soap operas were on tonight, and she planned on curling up on the sofa, and watching them all with her microwave meal for one.

_My life is so sad! _

Her thoughts were dispersed by the shrill ringing of the phone. Sighing, she reached over to pick it up.

"Hello." She yawned.

"Hello, is Miss Denton available, please?"

"Speaking."

"This is Kamir Husayn from the piano room."

"Oh!" Christine nearly dropped the phone. Did this mean she still stood a chance of getting the job? "Hello Mr Husayn."

"Miss, Denton, I am pleased to inform you that you've made it to the audition stage." Kamir said, smiling down the phone at the woman's shocked tone.

"Wow! That's fantastic. I mean, thank you very much Mr Husayn."

"How's tomorrow afternoon at 5 for you? Just at the bar."

"Absolutely fine. I'll be there at 5."

"OK, see you tomorrow then."

After hanging up, Christine couldn't help but do a little dance of joy. Okay, so she didn't exactly have the job yet, but after having given up all hope, he had called, and she had an audition. Now all she had to do was get through that, and the job would be hers

............

"What!" Erik glared at Kamir, who was usually unfazed by Erik's temper, but looked extremely anxious at present.

"You're going to have to audition her. My mother is sick, and I really should visit her."

"So you want me to audition some singer, just because you have decided to visit your mother on whim."

"Come on Erik, she's really nice. Quite a beauty actually. You'll like her."

Erik raised his eyebrows at this. "I don't like anybody, Kamir."

"Ah Erik." He clutched his chest. "You break my heart. And here I was thinking we were good friends."

"You are the bane of my life Kamir. Of course I don't like you."

"Well she's coming here at 5:00. If you don't want her coming, then you will have to ring her yourself. I should warn you though, you may just break her heart as well. She seemed to really want this job."

_As if I could possibly break anyone's heart_. Erik thought scathingly. Meeting strangers was his idea of hell, especially women. Even if the girl could sing, no doubt she would be so put off by the sight of him, she wouldn't be able to string two sentences together. The only woman who had actually talked to him as if he was an actual human being was the girl who was at the bar the other night. At the time he had been so shocked he didn't have time to think about it, but now he realised she must have not been able to see him properly due to the darkness of their surroundings, or perhaps she was so drunk she didn't notice his face. She hadn't seemed drunk though. In fact he had never met anyone so sweet, charming, and beautiful in all his life. For the past few days he hadn't been able to get her out of his head, and it was driving him crazy. He kept thinking that there may be the tiniest possibility that he had found the one woman in this world who could accept his face, and would not turn form him in horror. However the more he thought about it, the more absurd it became. He wanted to see her again, very badly, but he knew that if he did he would only realise that she was just like the rest of them. Perhaps it was best this way. That one night was special now, and would have to last him the rest of his life.

"And what about the bar whilst you're gone? It isn't going to run itself." Erik turned to Kamir, as he made one last ditch attempt to escape auditioning this singer.

"Robbie will be fine with running it for a day. I don't think he's quite ready for auditioning musicians yet though. The boy doesn't have a clue about music. He would no doubt base all his decisions on how hot she was." Kamir joked about the new barman. "Miss Denton would pass his test no doubt. The girl is stunning."

There was only one person Erik would ever think of as stunning ever again. Reluctantly, he decided to see what this singer was like. They were in desperate need of a singer at the bar, and so far everyone kamir had auditioned was not right at all.

"Fine." Erik spoke through gritted teeth, "I'll do it, but you owe me. You own me big."

"I shall be forever in your dept." Kamir declared, bowing dramatically, before grabbing his suit case off the floor. "I'll be back tomorrow."

..............

At 10 minutes past 5:00, Erik was starting to get annoyed. If there was one thing he hated it was lateness. Whoever this girl was, she would have to be the greatest singer in the world to impress him now. At quarter past 5:00, he decided to go home. Just as he was about to leave, the door to the bar flung open, and in she came, chestnut curls array, billowing around her deeply flushed face. Oh Lord, it was her again. The woman he couldn't stop thinking about. She looked adorable in a long green coat and her hair in a wild tangle of brown curls. Was she the singer he was supposed to audition? Fate could not be that cruel surely.

"Oh My God, I am so sorry." She blurted out as she came rushing in. "I missed the bus, and then-Oh it's you! Hi Erik. I didn't know you worked here." Her face broke into a huge grin, when she saw him.

"Christine." He whispered reverently, before realising he was simply staring at her. "You're very late." He grunted.

"I know. I'm so sorry. There's no excuse really. Can I still audition?" She looked up at him, giving him her best puppy dog eye look. It usually worked on getting her own way, especially with men.

"Sure, come this way, and i'll show you where you would be performing." He strode past her towards the back of the room, where a large grand piano stood.

"Wow! A Steinway. I've always wanted one of these" Christine ran her fingers along the smooth wooden top, marvelling at its beauty.

"Shall we begin? If you would just pick a song from this list." He handed her a booklet with a list of songs in.

"Any song?"

"Yes." He answered simply. What had happened to their easy banter from the other night? He probably had a girlfriend, and was regretting having spoken to her at all. Well she wasn't going to let his obvious bad mood take her down. She riffled through the booklet, before finally making her decision. It was one of the lesser known songs on the list, but one she knew was very difficult to sing.

"That one." She pointed it out to Erik.

"Are you sure you want to pick that one. It's a very hard song Miss Denton."

"Please call me Christine." She purred. "Yes, I am positive. I love a challenge."

....................

Erik could not help but be surprised again at this girl. No one ever talked to him like she was doing. He remembered the feeling of comfort he had felt when he was with her before. Was it too much to expect to feel that again? Most people would find the urge to stare at his face much too hard to ignore. Either that or they refused to look at him at all. He wasn't sure which was worse. Christine however, was acting for all intents and purpose as if she couldn't even see his deformity. People had learned not to ask outright questions about it, but he knew that was all they were thinking about when they met him. For the first time ever he wasn't sure what the person he was speaking to was thinking, and that unnerved him a great deal.

He sat at the piano, and began to play the opening notes to the song, whilst Christine stood to his left, ready to begin singing. What had possessed her to choose such a song he did not know. All the other candidates had deliberately chosen the easiest song on the list. Christine Denton would have to be very good indeed to carry off this song. He found himself hoping she was awful. He was starting to think about this woman more than was healthy, and to have her working at the piano room would be hell.

When she began to sing however, he knew that his hopes were to no avail. Her voice was just as beautiful as her face. In fact he had never heard a voice like it in all his life. Not only did she have perfect pitch and tone, but she an almost angelic quality to her voice, as if she truly was an angel, straight from heaven. Not only did she do the song justice, but it was the best rendition he had ever heard.

"So, how did I do?" Christine asked when she had finished. "I know I'm not brilliant, and I haven't had much training, but I really want this job. If you could..."

"Miss Denton. You have one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard. I think it is safe to say that you have the job." Erik stopped her ramblings mid sentence, as he stood up from the piano bench.

"What! You're kidding right? I've really got the job?" At Erik's nod, she squealed with delight, flew forward, and hugged him. Erik had never been so shocked in his life. No one had hugged him since, well ever. He managed to extract himself from her arms, not knowing what else to do, before speaking.

"Yes. You're voice is perfect." He swallowed, nervously. "Can you start tomorrow?"

"Erm, yes. Yes that's fine."Christine couldn't keep the grin from her face. She had the job, and she would get to work with the gorgeous Erik to top it all off.

"Ok, be here by 7:00 PM."

"Great, so I'll see you tomorrow then." She grinned, unable to control her excitement.

"No, you won't. I don't work here. I was only auditioning you because Kamir couldn't make it. Chances are you'll never see me again."

"Oh." Christine's smile died. "I'd rather hoped we could get to know each other better. I had a lot of fun the other night, and you need to tell me more about your opera."

"You did?" Erik had such trouble with words when it came to Christine Denton. He just didn't know what to say. "Well, I..."

"I'm sorry, I'm being very forward. You probably have a girlfriend or something. It's just I had such a good time on Saturday and well..." She trailed off, feeling her face flush red with embarrassment. She was making a complete fool of herself.

She thought he had a girlfriend! Was she actually blind, and just brilliant at disguising it? She was now turning bright red, with what looked like embarrassment.

"Do I look as if I have a girlfriend?" He asked scathingly.

Christine gave him an odd look. "Riiigggghhht." She dragged out the word, raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows at him. "Look, I'm sorry. I should go." She was just about to turn around to leave, when Erik spoke.

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I guess I'm just not used to talking to really beautiful women."

Christine smiled. Of course it was just a line, but it made her feel wonderful never the less. "I'm sure that's not true. Look, I know I've made a complete arse of myself, and you probably can't wait to get away, but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to grab some coffee or something? On me of course, as a thank you for the job." There she had done it. No wonder girls never asked out guys, if it was this terrifying.

Just when this woman could not get any more shocking, she had to go and do something like that! She wanted to go out with him? In public! Perhaps it wasn't such an inconceivable idea that she enjoyed his company just as much as he had hers. Still completely confused, Erik decided to just go along with what was happening. He had never been in this situation before, and no matter how terrifying it was, he knew that if he said no, he would always think about what may have been. Could he have found the woman he had always dreamed about at last? For he did dream. He dreamed of finding someone who could look past his deformity to the man he was inside, and love him for himself. Over the years the dream had faded into obscurity, and he found himself thinking about it less and less, but now it was back in full force with the arrival of this gorgeous woman, who appeared not to care what he looked like.

"Sure." He found himself replying. "I would love to."


	5. Chapter 5

_Sorry about the delay in updates. I've been quite busy with uni work._

_This chapter is for asqueeinthedistance, for your persistence. Here is your update, so please don't punjab me!  
_

Erik gazed into the eyes of the woman sat opposite him. Was it possible for anyone to be so beautiful? And she was with him! Well, of course she wasn't _with _him in that sense. She was a naturally nice person, who wanted to thank him for a job she had really wanted. That was what he kept telling himself anyway. It was the only logical explanation, and the only one which wouldn't cause him pain if it wasn't true.

She still hadn't asked about his face. Even if it wasn't the first thing people asked him, he could always tell it was what they were gagging to ask about. With Christine however, she hadn't mentioned it once, and didn't stare at all. Well, she did seem o be staring a bit, but it was always into his eyes. He had never seen such a look on a woman, and he couldn't put his finger on what the look meant. It certainly didn't look like fear or disgust.

"So, where are you from? You don't sound like you're from around here?" Christine sipped her cappuccino, not noticing she had some on her nose. Erik almost smiled, and had the sudden urge to kiss it away. What was getting into him!

"I'm from France originally, but I moved here when I was seven."

"Wow. That must have been hard. I moved here from the country when I was 10, and hated it. I gave my mum a pretty hard time about it. Parents can be so annoying sometimes."

Erik simply nodded. She had obviously assumed he had moved here because of his parents. Well strictly speaking that was true, only not in the way she thought. There was no way he was going to tell her about the real reason he had moved to England at such a young age.

"Why did you move?" Erik enquired, hoping to keep the subject very much her, and not on himself.

"My dad died, and Gloria....that's my mum decided the best way to get over it was to move away from anything that reminded us of him." Christine shrugged nonchalantly. She was never comfortable talking about her father. The subject was forbidden with Gloria, and hence she never spoke of him to anyone.

"I'm sorry. That must have been hard."

"I suppose. I don't remember much about him really."

"You were ten weren't you? Surely you must remember quite a bit?"

"I should, but I don't. Glor...I mean my mother never talked about him. She moved on very quickly, and I guess she expected me to as well."

Erik noticed that Christine had become very quiet, and appeared to be fascinated with something on her hands. This woman had obvious issues wither her parents, and didn't want to talk about it. Yet another thing they seemed to have in common.

"So, you told me you worked in a restaurant as a waitress." Erik decided to break the uncomfortable silence by changing the subject.

"Yes, on Oxford Street. It's not what I want to be doing, but it pays the bills." Christine sighed. "What I really want to do is singing. That's why I am so excited about this job at the piano room."

"You are definitely very talented, Christine. With training you could go very far."

"Oh, I don't think so." She blushed, clearly embarrassed. How was it possible for her to become even more adorable when she blushed?

"Anyway, you were going to tell me more about your opera. It sounds fascinating."

"I don't know about that. It's no masterpiece."

"Don't say that. I bet it's brilliant. I'd love to hear it." Christine gushed, hoping he would take the hint and ask her out again. It seemed to have the opposite effect however.

"I think I should be off now. How are you getting home?" Erik said before dropping some money on the table. Even though Christine had said she would pay, he still insisted.

"Oh, I'll just get a taxi. It's not too far away." Christine shifted her feet nervously, as they walked out of the cafe. She couldn't help but notice they were receiving some odd looks from the cafe's other occupants. As they passed a large mirror, by the entrance she suddenly realised why. She had a huge blob of cappuccino on her nose! Holy hell, no wonder Erik had wanted to get out. He was probably embarrassed about her, but hadn't wanted to say anything. She wiped it away fiercely, and followed Erik out of the cafe.

"You could have told me" She grumbled, pointing to her nose as they stood outside waiting in the taxi rank.

Erik smiled lopsidedly. It was very endearing, and she found herself already forgiving him. "I'm sorry. I was about to, but the time never seemed right."

At this Christine suddenly burst out laughing. "You are flat out adorable." Oh how she wished he would ask her out again. He was so sweet, and interesting to talk to. She had never met anyone like him, and she definitely wasn't ready to say good bye. She would have to do something, before the taxi came.

"We should do this again sometime" She suddenly blurted out. There, she had said it. Either he said yes, or no. She had nothing to lose.

"What?" Erik was confused. "Do what again?"

He wasn't going to make this easy was he? "Go out again. I would like to see you again." She could not be any more obvious, and yet from the look of horror she received, Christine realised it had not been a good idea.

_What was I thinking? He probably thinks I'm a hideous mess. _

"Look, it doesn't matter." _Come on taxi! Hurry up! _"I was nice meeting you again." Christine could feel her face turning red, as she craned her neck in search of a taxi, deliberately not looking at him.

"I would love to see you again Christine." Erik spoke, pulling her gently away from the taxi queue. "I guess I'm just not used to this kind of thing."

Christine scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. I bet your fighting the girls off."

"What." Erik was completely lost for words. Was this woman on drugs or something?

"Are you telling me that you've never asked out a girl before?" _Why is he staring at me like I've suddenly sprouted wings?_

"Have you _seen_ me?" Erik snapped at her.

Christine was getting more and more confused by the second. Either this guy had serious self esteem issues, which was ridiculous, or it was some intricate ploy to get rid of her. Logic told her it had to be the second. Luckily a taxi was arriving at the rank at that moment.

"I get it. Good bye Erik." She scrambled into the taxi, not daring to look at him, and told the driver where to go, leaving a very confused Erik standing on the pavement.

................

Erik's phone was ringing when he finally arrived home.

"Yes." He sighed, picking up the phone.

"Erik!" Came Kamir's voice down the line. "Erik, where have you been? I've been ringing you all day."

"Is it so hard to believe I went out?"

"You never go out. Anyway, I needed to ring you to see how everything went with Christine?"

"What!" How did he know about Christine? Had she told Kamir about him?

"You know. The singer. Was she any good? You didn't kill her did you?" Kamir laughed down the phone, causing Erik to grit his teeth in anger. "Soooo?" Kamir dragged out the word, awaiting Erik's answer.

_She was amazing. In fact she was the most amazing woman I have ever met in my life. She is beautiful, and sings like an angel, and she asked me out! Idiotic fool that I was I let her go, and now I feel as if life will never be the same again. _

"She was fine. I gave her the job, seeing as there didn't seem to be anyone else." Erik answered, realising that his previous answer was not appropriate.

"Ah, so I won't have to deal with her dead lifeless corpse tomorrow morning, whilst I am being interrogated by the police."

"No. You'll be too busy preventing yourself from becoming a dead lifeless corpse." Erik snapped back. "Now was that all you wanted, or did you wish to annoy me further?"

"I will never cease to be an annoyance to you my friend. It's one of my sole purposes in life you know." Kamir laughed down the phone. "Do you want to play another game of poker tonight?"

"Sure. You must truly enjoy losing money."

"It's only a small sacrifice for the pleasure of your company." Erik could hear the grin in Kamir's voice as he spoke. Anyone that ever saw them together would think they had a very odd relationship. Death threats were not uncommon, these mainly coming from Erik, and they generally seemed to hate each other's guts. Not that he would ever say it, but Kamir was his best friend. His only friend in fact, and if it wasn't for him, Erik would be even more pessimistic, and cynical than he already was. "See you later then." Erik slammed down the phone. He was not one for small talk.

..................

"You haven't told me much about this Kirsten? What's her voice like." Kamir asked, as he shuffled the cards. (One could never fully trust Erik to do it without cheating)

"Christine." Erik Muttered. _Her name is Christine. The most beautiful name in the whole world. _

"Oh yes, sorry." Kamir paused, before laughing. "So?"

"So what! Stop talking and deal will you." Erik did not want to talk about _her. _"I told you. She was fine. She had a good enough voice, so I thought she'd do."

"Erik. You are one of the pickiest people I know, particularly when it comes to music. You would never hire anyone who wasn't amazing, and coming from you amazing is completely unobtainable."

"Are you quite finished?" Erik raised one eyebrow at Kamir. "As you recall, you are the manager. Why should I care if you only have mediocre performers? It you wanted quality, then you should have auditioned her yourself." Erik glanced at his cards, nonchalantly. "Anyway, why would you ask me to audition her if you didn't think I would hire her?"

Kamir simply shrugged, and shook his head in despair, before looking at his own cards. They did not look good.

"How's your mother then?"

"She's fine now. The hospital kept her in over night to be safe, but she's back home now."

........

Erik's mind was not on the game, and so the end result was a close one.

"So close." Kamir, groaned, throwing down his cards "I swear to God, I am going to beat you one day."

"I shall look forward to it." Erik muttered sarcastically.

He could not stop thinking about Christine. Her eyes, her smile, her voice. It was all implanted in his mind, and he couldn't get her image out of his head. It wasn't simply that she was beautiful. She had talked to him as if he was just the same as everybody else, and even as if she actually liked him. When he talked to her he almost forgot about his face. Was it possible she really had wanted to see him again? Why else would she have asked to see him again? Why were women so confusing? He would have to see her again, if only to convince him that she couldn't possibly be interested in him.

"Have you been listening to a word I have been saying?" Erik woke from his thoughts to find Kamir staring at him, an amused look on his face. "I said why don't you come to the bar again tomorrow night? You didn't seem to totally hate it last time, and It'll be Christine's first night."

"Why should I care about that?" Erik snapped his head in Kamir's direction. Did he know what he was thinking about Christine? He couldn't possible know, could he?

"No need to talk like that. The poor girl hasn't done anything to you. I thought you might actually want to see her first performance. You thought her good enough to hire after all."

"Like I said before, it's practically your bar, and why should I care if she is any good?" Erik muttered.

"Suit yourself then." Kamir sighed, before getting up. "I should be going anyway. It's getting late."

When Kamir had left Erik went back into the library where they had been playing cards. He sat down in his huge arm chair and sighed miserably. It was not that he hated his life, or desperately wanted to change it. Over the years he had managed to come to terms with his fate, and had reached a point of if not happiness, then contentment. Yes, he was lonely, but surely that was to be expected when you lived alone. It had been a long time since he had ached for someone in his life like he did now, and it was all because of Christine. Even though he had only seen her twice, and he knew very little about her, he felt something for her which he had never felt for anyone else. He told himself it was just because of the way she had talked to him, as if he mattered, and as if she didn't even notice his face, but he knew that wasn't all of it. He would have been mesmerised by her even if she had never spoken to him.

From his limited experience with women, he had come to the conclusion that there was only one reason why any woman would be interested in him, and that was money. Ever since he had become fabulously wealthy from his computer software company, and his architectural designs he had suddenly acquired a lot more attention from women. He was not fooled however, and knew they were only after his money. When he was younger, before he had become wealthy, and was still in college, there had been one girl who he thought he could love, and who he foolishly believed could love him too. She had been the only girl who had talked to him in college, and had acted as if she liked him. Her sunny smiles and loving glances had convinced him well enough. He didn't want to think about Annabelle and what she had done to him. Could Christine be playing the same kind of cruel trick that Annabelle had played on him? Surely she was too old for such childish games, but he still found himself doubting.

He didn't want to admit it, even to himself, but he wanted someone who wanted him for who he was, and he knew he couldn't settle for anything less. Up until now he had thought the possibility of that was as unlikely as finding intelligent life of Mars. However, Christine's arrival into his life had messed up his whole thought processes. Through his experience, Erik had figured that there were two types of women in this world. There was the money grabbing types, whose lives revolved around wealth and prestige, and would do anything to remain in the style of life to which they had become accustomed. These were often good actresses, and could pretend to enjoy his company quite well. The second group were all the others, who did not care for such things, but more for love and family. These were the kind who would stare at his face in open horror, not caring what he thought. Erik found that he actually preferred this group, as at least they were honest with him.

Which group did Christine belong to? He was sure it wasn't to the former, but neither did she seem to belong to that latter. As far as he knew Christine knew nothing of his wealth, and yet still acted as if she enjoyed being with him. Could she be part of the latter group? Those women would avoid him totally, and it was due to those kinds of people that he had hidden himself way in his vast mansion for so long. He was sick of the stares and over the years he had become more and more reclusive. If it wasn't for his friendship with Kamir he would probably never leave his mansion. Christine confused him like no other human ever had, and it took a hell of a lot to confuse him. For him, every human was the same. None of them could be trusted. Both woman and men included. He didn't know which category Christine belonged to. All he knew for sure was that he had to see her again. He couldn't stop the tiny bubble of hope deep inside him from emerging, which said that just possibly he could have found someone who could love him, and would want to be with him. Yes, he absolutely had to see Christine again, and tomorrow night at the piano room was the place to do it.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thanks for all the lovely reviews. You all make me smile, and i hope you continue to review. They keep me going when i should be working. _

Christine had never been so nervous in her life. She had sung on stage before, but that was years ago, when she was at university. She would have to get used to it though, if she wanted to keep this job. She leafed through the list of songs she would be required to sing tonight. They didn't look too hard, and many were some of her favourite songs. Kamir had even told her she could sing whatever she liked once she had been there for a while. She had written quite a few songs of her own, and whilst she knew they were not particularly good, she would love to perform them and see what people thought. She picked up her guitar, and began to tune it, although she had only done so a few minutes prior. Anything to take her mind off her upcoming performance was welcome.

"Good evening, Christine." Kamir came into the room. "How are you? I see you managed to survive your audition with Erik."

The last thing she needed was a reminder of that man. She had never felt so stupid in all her life when she had been with him, and she couldn't stop thinking about him now.

"I'm Ok, just a little nervous." Christine gave Kamir a weak smile, before going back to the guitar in her hands.

Kamir waited for Christine to ask about Erik. Most people did, and craved to know what had happened to him to cause his scars. If the girl had any sense she would not have asked Erik about it directly. He could be very touchy on the subject to say the least, but he would have bet anything that she would have asked him about it now. Her curiosity would have got the better of her, as it did most people. He had been preparing what he was going to tell her when she asked, but it appeared that she wasn't going to ask, or even mention it for that matter. Either she had asked Erik about it, which he doubted because Erik would have most likely scared her away from coming back at all, Kamir thought with a smile, or she really didn't care about it, and hence had no desire to ask him about it.

"Well, if you have any questions, just ask me. Not Robbie, he won't have a clue. He's the other barman, by the way. He's late, as per usual." He sighed, looking at his watch.

"I'll keep that in mind." Christine gave another weak smile. She felt as if she moved one inch she would actually be sick. The place had better not be crowded tonight. She hoped her nerves wouldn't be like this every night, or she wouldn't last the week.

As she began to set up her microphone stand in the corner where she was to sing, she met George, who was the pianist. He would be playing the piano in the one room, whilst she was to perform in the other room. He was probably in his late fifties, with short, graying hair, and a friendly smile.

"You're nervous, I can tell." George smiled at her warmly. "You will be fine. Kamir wouldn't have hired you if you weren't a fantastic singer."

"Well, he hasn't heard me. It was Erik who interviewed me."

"Erik?" George suddenly stared at her wide eyed. "You've met Erik? I thought he only ever saw Kamir. Was he...?" George motioned towards his face.

Christine gave George a confused look. "What do you mean? Was he what?"

George opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the arrival of a young man, who came crashing through the door in a flurry of wind, rain water soaking him from head to toe.

"Hey guys." He shook his blond shaggy head causing water to fly in all directions. Anyone else would be in a foul mood having to come to work, and being caught out in what was turning into a rain storm, but this man seemed to be one of those people who was happy at all times.

"Honestly boy, do you want to make us all as wet as you?" George scowled at him.

"That's the plan." The young man carried on grinning, showing off a perfect set of white teeth, even more pronounced due to his dark tan. "Hi there, you must be Christine."He shook her hand, showering her with the water still dripping from his hair. "I'm Robbie." He beamed at her, as he shucks her hand vigorously. "Oh I'm sorry!"

Christine laughed, running her hands down her red cashmere sweater, which was now soaked. "No worries. It's a pleasure to meet you." He must have been about twenty years old, and very attractive, with his jar length blond hair, and sky blue eyes.

"Looking forward to tonight?"

"I'm a little nervous actually, but excited too."

"You'll be fine, I'm sure. You can practice on me if you want, I'd love to hear you sing." Robbie pulled off his coat, and shook it. There was now what looked like a small pond forming around him.

"Robert Thompson, you are late!" Kamir's deep voice came from the other side of the room, causing Robbie to jump.

"Sorry kamir. The bus was late, and then...."

"I don't want to hear your excuses. We're opening in 10 minutes, so you'd better get the bar sorted."

"Can't I hear Christine sing first?" Robbie pleaded.

"No, she'll be singing later."

Robbie made his way over to the bar, mumbling something under his breath, which caused Christine to burst out laughing. She could tell she was going to enjoy working here immensely.

............

Christine had the overwhelming feeling that she was being watched. She shook off the feeling, and resumed the tuning of her guitar. They opened at six, and Christine was getting more and more nervous by the minute. Robbie's arrival had taken her mind off her nerves for a few minutes, but now they were back with full force. How long had it been since she had last preformed? It must have been four years ago, and then it had only been at the college's musical. Granted, she wasn't exactly performing at the Albert Hall or the London Royal Opera House, but she felt as if she was. The Piano Room was tiny basement bar, with the capacity to fill about fifty people at the very most, but that didn't change anything. She was being paid for this job, and if she was awful, and everyone booed her off the stage, then Kamir would wonder why he had ever hired her, and she would get fired! She could not face having to carry on working at the cafe full time. She had to make this job work. If everything went to plan, she may be able to sing here fulltime, and she could tell Mr Harrison where he could stuck his job. However, if she felt like this every night, she wouldn't last long enough to do so.

Oh Christ, who was she kidding, the public's reactions, or fear of being fired were very small reasons why she was so scared? What if _he_ came? After the embarrassment of the previous day, she would not be able to face seeing Erik again. He wouldn't come though, would he? He said they would probably never see each other again. This thought should have relieved her, but it didn't. Whenever she thought about seeing him again, her stomach would lurch, as something akin to terror would grip her insides. However, when she thought of the possibility that she may never see him again, she felt an empty feeling inside her, and she was overcome with sadness, and loneliness. The truth was she wanted to see him again. She wanted to see him like she had never wanted to see anyone again. It made her feel even worse than the day she had left her home town with Gloria, and any memories of her father. She hated that feeling, and had no desire to experience it again.

Christine balanced her guitar on her knee as she made a last couple of adjustments. There were five minutes to go until she began to sing, and she felt an overwhelming urge to vomit.

..................

He stood in the far corner, deep in the shadows where he was sure no one could see him. He had arrived before anyone else, and no one knew he was there. Kamir really should learn how to improve his security, he thought with a small smile. For someone as apt at "sneaking around" as Kamir liked to call it, getting in to the Piano room was a doddle. He would have to talk to Kamir about it later, but for now, it was low on his list of priorities. The top item was sitting a few feet away, fiddling with a guitar which surely must be in tune by now, looking as if she was just about to walk the plank.

He had forgotten how gorgeous she was. Her chestnut curls fell down her back in waves of silk, and the red top she wore showed off her beautiful curves to perfection. Was he the biggest fool in the world to think he stood a change? Perhaps he should just stay hidden and admire her from afar. He was still plagued by her behaviour from the previous day though. If she hadn't liked him, then why had she asked him out? He would talk to after her performance, and then he would decide whether she was genuine or not. For now, he would simply enjoy hearing her sing with what he had to admit was the most exquisite voice he had ever heard. She had the perfect pitch, and tempo. She also had something extra, something indefinable, which gave her an edge. He knew she could go very far with that voice.

........

As Christine began to sing, she felt the nervous feelings from before start to slip away. The music gripped her as always did, and she soon forgot that she was in a crowded bar being stared at by a bunch of strangers. She even managed to forget about a certain gorgeous man by the name of Erik, who may or may not be among them. In fact, after she had sung a few verses of her first song, she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Her first set was over after what seemed like 10 minutes, but when she looked at her watch she realised she had been performing for 2 hours. Going into the side room where she kept her bag, she fished out her comb and made her way to the toilet. She was feeling sweaty from the performance, and no doubt she looked a complete mess. Standing in front of the mirror she realised she was correct. When she felt she looked passable, and her hair didn't look like it was about to fly away, she made her way back out into the corridor, and head long into someone. She looked up, and was about to apologise, but she swiftly forgot anything she had been about to say. There stood the very man she had been thinking about none stop, for the past couple of days.

"Hello, Christine." He reached out to steady her with strong, powerful hands. "You should watch where you're going." His tone was chastising, but he was smiling with amusement, his emerald green eyes glittering. Oh lord, she had forgotten how gorgeous he was. He was dressed all in black, his broad shoulders clearly emphasised through his cashmere jumper.

"Erik! I thought you weren't coming." She smiled back up at him.

"Yes...well, I changed my mind." His eyes flickered away nervously. She suddenly found herself even more nervous than she was before her performance. She had always been good with men, knowing the right thing to say to get their attention, and more importantly to keep it. Why then, did this man have the power to send her into a pile of jelly with just one look?

"You can let me go now." She whispered, when she realised he was still holding onto her upper arms. He let go suddenly, and Christine felt bereft.

"I'm sorry." He hurriedly apologised. "Forgive me."

Christine giggled at his formal tone. "You are quite the gentleman aren't you? It's quite alright good sir." She curtsied, and flashed him, what she hoped was her best smile.

"You were amazing out there. You have a superb talent, Christine."

Christine could feel herself turn red at his words. Many people had told her she could sing before, but the way he did, made it seem so much more genuine. There was of course the added factor that he was drop dead gorgeous. "Thank you. I must admit I was terribly nervous before, but once I got out there, I loved it."

"You have no reason to be nervous. Your voice is incredible."

If it was possible, she became even redder. "I'm not that good, but thank you."

"Listen, Christine." He become serious now, and his eyes shifted away from her, and back again. "One of the reasons I came here was because I wanted to apologise about yesterday. I acted like a fool..."

"Oh, don't be." Christine quickly interrupted. Why was he embarrassed? She was the one who made a complete fool of herself. "I was the one acting out of order. I guess I'm just terrible when it comes to men." She giggled nervously.

"I don't believe that for a second." He said, before giving her an odd look, as if he found her very confusing. "You don't need to be sorry."

"I honestly don't know why either one of us is apologising. Let's just forget about it." Christine said, hurriedly. She didn't want to drag out her embarrassment. "Anyway, I should get back out there. My public awaits." She giggled, before scurrying off. If she spent any more time hiding down a darkened corridor with Erik, she would end up saying something stupid, or do something very foolish.

.......

Erik watched her scuttle off down the corridor. So she _had _wanted to get away from him. Her charade of friendliness had been simply that, a charade. Then again, perhaps she really did need to get back to her singing. She had seemed genuinely pleased to see him before, and if he hadn't been mistaken, he swore she had been flirting with him again. If her adorable blush was anything to go by, she actually liked him. He shook his head to clear out such absurd thoughts.

_Pull yourself together man!_ He chastised himself, before following where Christine had gone. He could already hear her starting to strum her guitar, ready for her next song. _Look what you've become. Some pathetic loser, chasing after some girl!" _He had truly thought he was beyond that, especially after Annabelle. Still, he found himself stood in his usual place in the shadows, ready to watch her performance. She really was spectacular. Her voice held the perfect pitch and tone, and she was able to bring in the perfect amount of emotion. Each song she sang, she managed to make uniquely hers, as if she truly was feeling the emotions of the song herself.

He knew he should leave. Staying near her could only lead to trouble, and ultimate heart break. His legs would not cooperate however, and he found himself stood watching her right up until the end of her performance. When she had finished her last song, his legs finally decided to move, and he found himself walking over to where she was sat, putting away her guitar. He was a few meters away, when he was prevented from reaching her due to the group of people who had started talking to her. He span back around and retreated into the shadows, as was his habit when it came to crowds. They had obviously come over to praise her performance, due to Christine's blushes, and nervous smiles. He also couldn't help but notice that the group was made up primarily of men. He clenched his fists, as he saw one of them touch her on the arm, and Christine laughed at something he had said. Erik narrowed his eyes, as he glared at him in anger. If that fool didn't take his hand of Christine soon, he was going to be in deep trouble. After a few moments, the group moved away, and Erik was able to draw breath once more, and he made his way over to her once more.

She turned around when he approached, just as she was fastening up her case. "Hi again." She stood up, smiling, and picked up the case and swung it over her back.

"Hello, Christine." He tried to smile back at her, but being so out of practice he wouldn't have been surprised it came out as more of a grimace. "What are you doing now?" He found himself asking before he knew what he was saying.

"Well, I don't have any plans. I was just going to go home." Christine replied, hoping he had meant what she thought he had. Was he going to ask her out? _Oh please let him ask me!_

"Well then, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to.....perhaps you would...." He was interrupted by the arrival of Kamir, who had just come bounding over to the two of them.

"Christine! You did fantastic tonight. They loved you!" He turned to Erik with surprise. "Erik, what are you doing here? I thought you said you weren't coming."

"Well I changed my mind didn't I?" Erik gritted his teeth in annoyance at Kamir's interruption. Kamir turned back to Christine, ignoring Erik's gruff reply. "Ignore him. I hope he hasn't been causing you trouble?"

"Not at all." Christine replied, grinning up at Erik.

"Listen, we're having a bit of a lock in to celebrate your first night. You fancy it?"

"Yer sure, that sounds great. Are you staying?" She asked Erik, hopefully.

"Of course." He answered automatically. Any opportunity to spend time with Christine was not to be missed, even in Kamir, Robbie and George were there too.

Christine beamed. "Brilliant."

Kamir gave Erik a strange look. "Really? You want to stay?

"Is it so inconceivable that I do?"

"Well, yes it is. I would have asked you before if I had thought for a moment that you would..."

"That's enough Kamir." Erik interrupted, glaring at him. Christine smiled at the banter these two shared. It was very amusing.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. I just need to powder my nose." She walked past Erik and Kamir towards the bathroom. If she wanted to make any headway with attracting Erik, she would have to make herself look as beautiful as possible.

.........

"Erik, are you OK?" Kamir glanced over at his friend as he cleared away glasses. "You're acting very strange."

"I was under the impression you thought I was always strange." Erik replied, not looking at Kamir, but in the direction Christine had disappeared what felt like hours ago. What was she doing in there? Surely it didn't take this long to apply makeup. Why she wished to apply makeup any way was beyond him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and needed no such rubbish.

"Exactly. You're being even stranger. Are you having trouble with some business or something?"

"Something." Erik moved over to the other side of the bar. He needed a drink badly.

"Secretive as always." Kamir smiled, shaking his head in exasperation. "Christine seems very nice doesn't she?"

"What? Oh.... yes, she does." Nice was not a word he would use to describe Christine.

"You know, I think I know what's going on here. You're trying to hide it, but I can tell. " Kamir came to stand over where Erik was pouring out a glass of whiskey. His words almost making him spill it all over the floor. "You like her don't you? No, don't try to deny it. I don't think you have ever spent this much time out in public, and as for wanting to stay here after closing, that is most definitely _not _you.

Was he really so obvious? "You are talking absolute nonsense Kamir. I hold no opinion of her what so ever, other than that she has a very good singing voice. Why would you think such a thing? Now if you would just leave the subject be, I would appreciate it." The request was framed in a polite form, but the glare Erik gave him was not.

.......

Christine was just coming out of the bathroom, and had made her way to the end of the corridor, which opened out to form the main bar, when she overheard the two men talking. As soon as she heard Kamir ask Erik if he liked her, she had stopped in her tracks listening intently, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. The words Erik replied with made her heart to cease its beating, and fall. So he didn't like her at all. He in fact held no opinion about her what so ever. He even thought the mere idea that he might like her was ridiculous! How could she have been so stupid? Christine felt dejected, but she must put on a brave face, and go back in there. Everything would be fine so long as she made him well wear that she held no opinion of him whatsoever aswell!


	7. Chapter 7

_I am very excited, as i have only just discovered the thing which lets you look at how many people look at your stories. I had no idea you could do that, and i feel stupid now. Anyway, i have noticed there are a lot more hits than reviews! Come on people, i love reviews, so get reviewing. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This makes me very sad. ): but i think reviews would cheer me up!  
_

Taking a deep breath for courage Christine strolled out into the bar. Erik was stood with his back to her, and Kamir was still busy behind the bar.

"Christine, you took your time. Would you like a drink?" Kamir asked her, as she approached.

"Yes, please. Just a coke though, I've got to be at the restaurant tomorrow." She smiled at Kamir as he gave her the drink. She deliberately did not look at Erik, although the temptation was overwhelming, as she could swear he was looking right at her. This of course was stupid, seeing as he did not like her in the least. He probably didn't even know she had come back in yet.

"I'm off home." George pulled on his coat by the door. "I don't think my wife would be too pleased if I stayed any longer. It was a pleasure to meet you, Christine."

"And you." She smiled. "I will see you tomorrow night."

Robbie was sat on the other side of the bar; sipping a bright green concoction in a tall, thin glass.

"What is that?" She walked right past Erik, and went to sit next to Robbie.

"Appletini. You want to try some?" He handed her the glass, and she took a tentative sip.

"That's actually quite nice. What's in it?" Christine continued to listen to Robbie as he spouted out the list of ingredients for the cocktail. She continued to ask him about the contents of different cocktails, not that she had any real interest in the subject.

"That's fascinating. How do you know so much about cocktails?"

"I took a bartender course in college. It was either that or skiing lessons." He laughed. "That would not have been a pretty sight, I can tell you."

"I see, so that's how you got the job here?" Christine asked, trying not to look sideways to where she knew Erik was sat talking to Kamir.

"Yes. I don't like to blow my own trumpet, but I do make the best cocktails in London." He said, proudly, puffing out his chest.

"That's very presumptuous. Have you met everyone in London?" Christine giggled "So, where did you go to college?"

"I went to UCL to do accounting, but I dropped out after my first year. My parents wanted me to follow in my brother's footsteps, but it just wasn't for me, so I just decided to get a job here for the moment."

"I have to say, I think you made the right choice Robbie. I could never imagine you as a stuffy accountant." Kamir said, as he finished tidying away the last few glasses, and sat next to them.

They carried on making small talk, for the next few minutes, Erik making very little contribution to the conversation. If anything, he seemed to be getting annoyed, but seeing as she had not looked directly at him, or spoken to him once since she had left the bathroom, she couldn't be sure.

......

Erik could not take it anymore. The only reason he had stayed over after closing was to hopefully get a chance to talk to Christine, and so far he had not spoken to her once. Damn Kamir and his insistence that they all stay over after closing. If he had had his way, he would have taken Christine out after closing, perhaps for a midnight walk along the river, where they could have got to know each other better. Now he was stuck here, sitting with Kamir, and Robbie, as they chatted away to Christine, and he felt terribly like a third, and completely unnecessary wheel. Why did they have to monopolise her attention by asking her so many questions? The woman wasn't an information centre! Christine's laughter and sweet voice was making him feel weak, and it was driving him insane.

The way she kept laughing at Robbie's jokes, and talking to Kamir was not helping. He knew flirting when he saw it, and she was definitely doing it right now. That must have been the way she was acting with him before. She was one of those women who flirted with everyman, no matter who he was. Ordinarily he despised such women, but it did nothing to detract his attraction to Christine in the slightest. On the contrary, it seemed to make him even more obsessed with her.

The green eyed monster had definitely made an appearance. _How ironic, _he thought to himself. He was a green eyed monster as it was, and right now, as he watched Christine chatting away casually to two other men, he became even more green with jealousy. He wanted to leave, but that would only draw attention to him, and would prove to her that she had got to him. It was obvious now that she felt nothing for him, despite her behaviour from before. She truly must just be a friendly person, who was nice to everybody. He had been a fool for thinking otherwise.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Christine, who finally seemed to addressing him personally.

"I guess I will see you around, Erik." She stood up, and began pulling on her coat. What was happening? Was she leaving? _Erik you idiot. She is going to go, and leave your life forever, and what do you do. Nothing! You have to do something. Think man!_

Thinking fast, he said the first thing that came into his head. "I should be going too. Would you like a life home?"

"Sure, that would be great. If it's not too far out of your way?"

"Of course not. It would be a pleasure."

He knew he was probably making a huge mistake, but this would probably be his last chance to speak to her alone, and despite his earlier turmoil, he couldn't just let her leave forever.

"Bye!" Kamir called out, winking at Erik, as he held open the door for Christine to go out. Erik narrowed his eyes at him, but he simply laughed, and went back to closing up the bar.

"See you later!" Robbie waved from the bar, as he too got ready to leave.

The walk to Erik's car was filled with a very awkward silence. Apart from when she had said goodbye at the bar, Christine had not spoken to him once. Was he mistaken, and was she actually angry with him about something? He couldn't think of anything he might have done to upset her, and she had accepted his offer of a life home. If she was mad at him she would have wanted to escape from him as quickly as possible.

Christine had figured that ignoring him totally would be the wrong move, and only prove that she was angry at him for some reason. It was far better to act as if she were totally indifferent to him, and as if he were just like everybody else. To reject his offer of a ride home would only prove that he had got to her in some way. That was the only reason she had accepted his offer. She kept telling herself this, but she knew it was a lie. She wanted to spend time with him, even though she knew he wasn't attracted to her, and doing so would get her nowhere.

Erik led her down to what looked like a private car park, hidden beneath a tower of offices. It seemed hidden rooms and basements were in vogue at the moment, especially with Erik.

"Whereabouts do you live?" Erik enquired, as they approached a very expensive looking sports car. It could have been a Lamborghini, which was Christine's favourite car, but she didn't want to ask, seeing as she was supposed to be acting indifferent. She was also curious as to how he could afford such an expensive car. Just working at a computer company could not pay that much. Then again, he had never stated what it was he actually did there. She didn't ask of course, or mention that she liked his car. To show too much interest in him would only show him that she liked him. All she had to do was get through this journey, and then she could begin to forget all about Erik!

"16 Queen's Road, please. It's not far."

She smiled at him as he opened the door for her. He was such a gentleman. Why did he have to _"hold no opinion of her whatsoever?"_ That phrase was starting to really irritate her.

They drove in silence for the first half of the journey, the only sound being the soft humming of the engine, as they sped down the almost deserted streets of London.

"You performed amazing tonight." He finally spoke, glancing over at her. "When are you next playing?"

"Thank you." She could feel herself blushing. Thank God it was dark. "Tomorrow night I think."

"Are you enjoying it so far? Kamir isn't working you too hard is he?" he enquired, as they sped down Park Avenue.

"Not at all." She laughed. "I'm really enjoying it. It's much better than my other job, and I love singing, so it's perfect for me."

"I'm glad. If Kamir starts giving you a hard time, or making you work too much you can tell me. I will sort him out."

"I thought you were friends?" Christine smiled. Those two certainly had an odd sort of friendship.

"We are, but that doesn't mean I can't scare the living daylights out of him once in a while." He grinned evilly, causing Christine to burst out laughing, before inwardly chastising herself. _Way to go Christine. Now you're laughing with him. What happened to the indifference game?_

Thankfully, they were saved from anymore small talk due to the necessity for Christine to give directions to her house. Their easy chatter seemed to have faded away to awkwardness yet again, and Christine felt sad. Just because he wasn't attracted to her didn't mean they couldn't be friends. It would be hard, but it would be all she could have.

When they arrived, Erik insisted on walking her to the door, even though it was only a few meters walking away. _Please, _she pleaded. _Just go away, so I can begin getting over you! _She though desperately.

"Goodnight, Christine." He took her hand, and ran his lips across her knuckles briefly, causing her to shiver. _Oh Lord!_ Did a man who was indifferent to a woman do that?

"Goodnight Erik." He turned to leave, once she had opened the door, and was inside. She closed the door, and let out one huge breath, and almost collapsed against the doorframe. Did that man have any idea how dammed sexy he was? Sighing, she made her way up the small flight of stairs to her second floor flat. She had been putting off going back home for hours, and was not looking forward to having to enter her messy flat. No doubt it would be freezing as well. Just as she suspected, the flat looked like a bomb had hit it, and she could swear it was colder in here than it was outside. That may have something to do with the heat she had been feeling stood next to Erik though.

Groaning, she collapsed on the sofa, and buried her head in the cushions. She was so tired, and she had to be up in six hours to go to work at the restaurant, but all she wanted to do was curl up and sleep for years. Eventually, she managed to haul herself off the sofa, and was just about to stagger over to the bedroom, when there came a loud knocking at the door. If that was Pete, the landlord, then she was in deep trouble. He must have seen her arrive and decided two in the morning was a good time to ask for rent. Could life possibly get any worse? Peering through the peep hole, she leapt back in surprise. Instead of the pudgy face of the obnoxious landlord, she saw Erik, who appeared to be pacing the corridor in agitation. How did he know which flat was hers? More importantly, why was he here in the first place? Had she left something in his car? That was all she needed!

............

Erik had made it about two meters down the street, before he ground to a halt, and leapt out of the car. He had to ask if he could see her again. If he didn't then he would always regret it. If she said no, as of course he fully expected her to say, then at least he could say he had tried. The one small problem was that he didn't know which flat was hers. He had seen her head upstairs though, so it wasn't the ground floor flat. Thankfully the front door was slightly open, so he was able to get inside the building. He would have to speak to Christine about that later. Anybody could get into the building if she left the door open like that. He took the steps two at time, to the second floor. There was one door with a number two on it. He banged on the door, hoping it was Christine's. He could only imagine what the poor unsuspecting neighbour would think, opening the door to find him standing there at two in the morning.

He heard movement from within, the door opened, and there she stood, her beautiful blue eyes wide in surprise. "Erik. Did I forget something?"

"No, I did." He took a deep breath. "Christine, there was something I wanted to ask you earlier, but I didn't get the change, and then I guess I lost the courage to ask."

"Yes?" Christine felt her heart rate speed up ten times. Dare she raise her hopes yet again?

"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to.... perhaps you might..." _Oh God, I sound like an idiot. _"Forgive me Christine, but I'm terrible at this." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I would love to take you out for dinner some time."

"Wh...excuse me?" Christine stammered. "You're asking me out? But I thought you didn't like me."

"Not like you? Where would you get an idea like that?" Erik exclaimed, completely shocked_. Why would she care if I liked her or not? Was that why she has been acting so aloof?_

"I heard you talking to Kamir. You said you had no opinion of me whatsoever. It must have had something to do with _that_." Christine emphasised the word "that", as she stood with her hands on her hips, staring up at him, looking annoyed, and confused at the same time. He was also feeling just as confused. What did this all mean? Did she like him? Surely not. That was impossible.

"That was a lie. I didn't want to tell _him."_ He didn't want to tell anyone how he felt about her. _"Then why the hell are you standing at her door, you idiot!" _Came an annoying voice at the back of his head. He knew he should just go now, before he dug an even bigger hole for himself.

"So you do like me?" Christine's confused expression transformed into a dazzling smile. What on earth did she have to smile about? She should be screaming in horror, and slamming the door as fast as she possibly could by now.

"Yes." He whispered, lowering his head. After there was a long pause, in which neither of them spoke, and she just stared at him, still smiling.

"Well in that case, I would love to go out with you."

His head shot up in shock. Did she actually just say "yes"? "What did you say?"

She giggled. "I said yes. That is if you still want to." If he still wanted to? Was she mad?

"Of course." he found himself smiling. Was it possible that this gorgeous creature was actually attracted to him, and didn't care about his face? She certainly didn't seem care so far. It was almost as if she didn't even notice it in fact. "Are you free on Friday?"

"I am."

"I will pick you up at half past 7 on Friday night then." He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"I can't wait."

..........

As soon as the door closed, and she was sure he had gone, Christine let out a squeal of delight and did a twirl around her sitting room. She had a date with Erik! He had been so sweet and nervous as he asked her out, almost as if he had never asked a girl out before, and she found it very endearing. Of course that was utter nonsense. Someone as gorgeous as him must have girls falling over themselves to catch his attention. It seemed however that he liked her. She couldn't wait to see him again, but Friday seemed like a million years away. It was only one whole day away though, and she should get started on figuring out on what she was going to wear right now, if she wanted to keep his interest.

.........

Erik drove home in a state of shock. He had a date. Him! The last time he had a date had been with Annabelle. Not only could that not be considered a real date, seeing on how it ended, but it was nearly 15 years ago. The one problem he was facing was that he had very little idea on how to act on a date. Christine did not seem to be like Annabelle; however she still had the power to destroy him. He suspected she had considerably a lot more power than Annabelle ever did. That didn't mean that she could accept him as he was though, and he should still be wary of getting too involved with her. He feared it was far too late for that, as he already cared far too much for Christine than was healthy.

Perhaps he was totally mistaken, but he had the feeling that she actually liked him. He had been rejected so many times that he knew what it looked like. She had made no excuses to get out of meeting him. On the contrary, she had seemed excited about it. There was of course the possibility that she had only wanted to go out with him for his money. In the past, a few women had got it into their heads that he could be seduced into parting with a large quantity of his wealth for their presence in his bed. He knew they didn't want him though, and so he never fell for their charms. Christine still didn't know who he was however; at least she never said she did. As far as she knew he simply worked at Caveliere computing and was a struggling musician. She didn't seem to be like a gold digger, and he had known enough of them in his past to know. In fact she seemed totally opposite. She was sweet, beautiful and interesting. She shared his passion for music, and seemed totally unfazed by his face, or lack thereof. All in all, she seemed to be his dream woman. He only hoped he didn't mess up his chances with her. Seeing as he could hardly rely on his dazzling good looks, he would have to make sure he wowed her in other ways. He swore that Friday night would be the best date she had ever had, and he intended on starting preparations right now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for your reviews. I hope to see more!**

Christine hummed to herself as she served customers at work the next day. It had been a long time since she had been such a good mood, and it was all due to her upcoming date with the gorgeous Erik.

"You're certainly cheery today." Beth glanced over at her form over the huge pile of dirty plates she was balancing in her arms. "So who is he?"

"Who's who?"

"Come on. To have a look like that, it must be a man. He must be pretty special to make you smile like that, especially when you have to work here."

"Okay, so maybe it is a man." Christine grinned.

"Well then? Come on, tell me about him." Beth dumped the pile of dishes on the side, and turned back to Christine, hands on her hips.

"He's called Erik, and I've only just met him really, but he seems amazing. I met him at that new bar, the piano room." Christine found herself drifting off just thinking about Erik. "We have so much in common. He likes the same music as me, and he writes opera. He is so different from every other man I have ever been out with, and he's so intelligent!"

"But what does he look like?" Beth asked, grinning.

"Oh." Christine was surprised she hadn't already described how gorgeous Erik was. That was her normal answer when a friend asked about a man she was seeing. It must be that Erik was so much more than a handsome face. He had the whole package. Good lucks and an amazing personality. "Tall, dark, and handsome and he has the most beautiful green eyes I have ever seen." Erik's eyes had to be the most beautiful part of him. They were the first thing she thought of when she pictured him.

"So do you have a date?"

"Tomorrow night." Christine squeaked, already very excited about Friday night.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. He said he would pick me up at half seven."

"Well good luck. He sounds wonderful. Tell me all about it on Monday."

The rest of the day flew by, and Christine was shocked to realise it was 5 o'clock, when Mr Harrison snapped at her to go home. Some things never changed, she thought with a grin, as she flounced past him to the cloak room. Even Mr Harrison couldn't bring her down today.

She had spent a couple of hours the previous night, after Erik had left, searching through her wardrobe for something to wear on Friday, but she had nothing which she deemed good enough for her date with Erik. She wanted to look as beautiful as possible, and so had decided to splash out on a new outfit. She had just over an hour before the shops closed, and she was determined to find the perfect outfit.

............

Christine stood in front of the large mirror in the dressing room. Even she had to admit, the dress did look good on her. The dark blue silk skirt fell to just above her knees, and it clung to her curves like a second skin. It had thin spaghetti straps that crossed over her back, leaving the rest of her back exposed. She was a little concerned that it was too revealing, but compared too many of the young girls she had seen in town, it was very modest. She had another panic when she saw the price tag, it being almost a month's wage at the restaurant. Could she really afford to spend so much money on one dress? She had rent and bills to pay, and the fridge was almost totally empty. After a long time debating with herself, she decided to buy it. Something told her that this date was special, and she wanted to look as good as she possibly could.

By the time she arrived home she only had half an hour in which to get ready for work at the piano room. After purchasing the dress, she had realised she needed shoes to go with it. Shoes had of course led to a new necklace and earrings. Well, she might as well go the whole hog on this date.

She found herself hoping Erik might show up at the Piano room again tonight. Friday was a whole day away, and she really wanted to see him again soon

Wolfing down a sandwich, and a mug of coffee, she sped out of the door, and luckily managed to catch the bus, otherwise she would have been late for sure. She was a little annoyed that she didn't have much time to make herself look better, but that couldn't be helped. She half hoped that Erik didn't come to the bar tonight. He would probably take one look at her shaggy hair, and barely made up face, and realise he had made a huge mistake, and cancel Friday.

Thankfully she was only a couple of minutes late, and Kamir didn't seem to mind. He simply waved at her cheerily from the bar. George was warming up over at the piano, and Robbie hadn't arrived yet. He seemed the type who was always late, and so her lack of punctuality didn't seem like such a problem.

She went into her "dressing room" in order to get ready. It wasn't so much of a dressing room as a closet, but she was thrilled to have somewhere to put her things, and freshen up. Just as she began reapplying her makeup, she noticed the red rose, which lay atop the small dresser. She picked it up, and examined it. It was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. Totally flawless, and such a dark shade of red it was almost black. Fingering the petals gently, and running her fingers along the silky black ribbon tied around its stem, she wondered who had left it. It had to be Erik, she thought with a smile. Even though she still knew very little about him, it seemed like the kind of gesture he would make. Did that mean that he was here tonight? Oh how she hoped so. He had only been part of her life for a few days, but she was already missing him when he wasn't there. She only wished she had a vase in which to place the rose. It wouldn't survive very long without water. She went and retrieved a tall glass from the bar with which to put it for the time being, and placed it on a table next to her chair, so she could see it when she performed.

She had just begun to play a few warm up notes on her guitar, when Robbie arrived, singing along to some terrible rap song on his I-pod, totally oblivious to the time, and anyone else.

"Oy Eminem, do you know what time is?" Kamir glowed at him.

"Erm...It's twenty past 8." Robbie replayed, glancing at his watch nonchalantly, as if he had asked the question as a matter of interest, and not as an accusation for his lateness.

"Don't play smart with me boy. You were due here 20 minutes ago."

They carried on arguing in a friendly manor, during which Robbie came up with a very elaborate excuse for being late, which involved the bus breaking down, and being chased by a dog. Christine couldn't stop laughing, especially after he winked at her when he had finished reciting his tale. He had obviously made the entire story up.

"If you think I am going to believe that for a second, then you are very much mistaken." Kamir gave him a withering look, to which Robbie simply grinned back, flashing his perfect white teeth, and began lighting the candles which sat on every table.

"Christine!" He approached her, smiling broadly. "You look stunning as ever. You believe me don't you? I swear that dog was trying to kill me!"

"Of course." Christine laughed. "Why on earth are you listening to that?" she motioned towards the earphones hanging around his neck, from which she could still hear the rap music blasting out.

"You don't like rap? Ah, and here I was thinking you had very eclectic taste."He pouted

"I do, gut I draw the line a rap. It just isn't music." She protested.

Robbie proceeded to try and argue his point over how rap was music, but Christine would not be swayed.

"You two seem very cheery tonight." Kamir groaned at them, clearly exasperated. "Do you both have dates or something?"

"Yes" They both spoke at the same time.

Kamir's eyes widened. "Separate dates I am assuming?"

"Of course!" Robbie burst out, and then turned red with embarrassment. "No offence, Christine. You're very beautiful, but you're not my type."

Christine gave him a mock scowl, before laughing. "None taken. You're not my type either." She punched him playfully on the arm. "You're far too young for me anyway. What are you, seventeen?" Robbie was soon turning into the little brother she had never had. He was such fun to tease.

"I'm 20!" He protested, his handsome face screwed up in mock offence.

"Believe me Rob; you'll appreciate looking younger when you're my age." Kamir said, laughing. "So who's this date with then?"

"I am finally going out with the beautiful Leanne." Robbie grinned broadly.

"I thought you asked her out last week, and she said no?" Kamir asked, looking confused.

"I managed to bring her around. She just couldn't live without the Robbie love." He gloated.

"I don't think we need to know the details" Kamir halted him with a raised hand. He turned his attention to Christine, and Robbie disappeared off to the back room to change. "So who's the lucky man for you?"

"It's Erik."

"Erik?" Kamir dropped the glass he had been holding, and it shattered on the floor. "Shit!" He bent to pick up the pieces, and Christine helped.

"You're going out with Erik?

"Yes."

"My friend Erik?"

Christine giggled. "Yes. That is okay right? I promise we will be in by curfew."

Kamir stated at her, mouth agape. "I....well...yes. It's just...I don't know. I've never known him go out with anyone."

"Really?" She snorted. Now Christine was the one to look shocked. "I don't believe that for a second." Someone as gorgeous as him must have women falling over themselves to catch his interest. Christine stood up, and moved over to the bar to retrieve the dustpan and brush and sweep up the glass.

Kamir stared wide eyed at her retreating back. Had he heard wrong, or had she really just told him she was going out with Erik? In their ten year friendship, Erik had rarely ever expressed any interest in the opposite sex. Kamir knew Erik was very sensitive about his face, and no matter how many times he told him that it wasn't that bad, and that a woman could learn to look past it, he still insisted that he would never find anyone. He never said this outright, but he could read his friend well, and he knew how he felt. Now things seemed to be changing. Erik was going out with Christine. Had he asked her, or had it been the other way around? The whole scenario made him very nervous. The last thing he wanted was for his friend to get hurt. He would never have placed Christine in the category of a gold digger, but it was entirely possible. On the other hand, perhaps she was the woman he knew Erik had always dreamed of. Someone who truly thought him handsome, despite his marred physical appearance. He would have to talk to her and get a better understanding of the situation.

"Christine." Kamir came to stand next to her, looking very nervous. "Look, I think I should talk to you about this before Robbie comes back." He rung his hands together nervously, unsure what he was going to say. Erik would most likely kill him if he knew he was interfering.

"Is there a problem?"

"Are you sure this is such a good idea? Erik has been hurt a lot in the past, and just hope you know what you are getting yourself into."

"I don't understand." Christine felt her brows knit together. Who could have hurt Erik in the past? Whoever she was she must have been an idiot.

"The last thing I want is to see him hurt again and ... well...I just wanted you to know." Kamir found his voice fading away towards the end of the sentence. If Christine had it in her mind to target Erik due to his wealth, and thought he would be an easy conquest due to his disfigurement, he wanted to warn her off. If however, she did genuinely did like Erik, then he didn't want to frighten her away, and in doing so would hurt Erik anyway.

"Look, Kamir, I don't mean to sound rude here, but I think I know what I am doing. I really like him, and I think he likes me too." Christine stood up, and walked away towards the bin to dispose of the broken glass. It was obvious Kamir didn't want her to date Erik. Why was not quite so obvious. If Erik was his friend then surely he wanted him to be happy. Perhaps he simply didn't like her, and thought Erik could do better. She hadn't received any hostile feelings coming from him before, and she was usually very good at reading other people's emotions, having done Psychology at school. What had Kamir meant when he said that Erik had been hurt in the past? Had he also had his heart broken? Whoever she was, she must be a fool to have let him go. From what she had seen he was the perfect catch. She put her confused thoughts aside for the time being, seeing as it was almost time to begin her first song.

Much to her disappointment, Erik didn't show up that night. Perhaps he thought it a bad idea to see her before the official date. Some would deem that as breaking the rules of dating. Christine had never set much store on such rules, but some people seemed to live their lives by them. Firstly, "Bumping into" each other before the date was a huge no, leaving at least a day before calling again, and of course playing hard go get. Not appearing too eager was very important. Men were easily scared away, and this was something she had experienced many times. Something told her that things would be different with Erik though. She had a feeling the normal dating rules did not apply to them. Erik affected her as no man had done before, and it made her very nervous.

.............

Erik was so busy applying the finishing touches to preparing a date he hoped Christine would never forget, that he didn't notice the arrival of his friend at the study door.

"...That's brilliant. We'll be there at eight 8'oclock. Thanks a lot Maria." He put the phone down, and turned to face Kamir, who was staring at him confusedly from the door.

"Christ, Kamir. And here I was thinking I was the one who was the expert in sneaking around in silence. Who let you in?"

"Mrs Reynolds of course. That woman is a gem."

"Yes, she is. However I may have to reconsider my thinking if she lets riff raff like you in without informing me first."

Kamir went over to Erik's drink's cabinet, and poured a whiskey. "Want one?"

"You're asking me if I want a glass of my own whiskey?" Erik scowled at him. "No, I don't. And if you don't mind leaving, I have a lot to do."

"Actually Erik, I came here to talk to you about something specific. I hear you are going on a date with Christine."

Erik's eyes widened in surprise. "She told you about that?" Christine had told Kamir that she was going out with him on a date. This surprised Erik greatly. Agreeing to see him was one thing, but actually telling others was another matter. Did this mean she wasn't ashamed for people to know they were together?

"Yes, she did." Kamir was beaming at him now. "Congratulations my friend. I never thought I would see the day."

"Yes, well, we haven't gone out yet, so don't hold your breath."

"I knew you liked her. I know you too well Erik." He grinned. "So, where are you taking her?"

Erik was not enjoying this conversation. He knew Kamir wanted him to find someone. In their younger days he had tried setting him up with various women he knew, but of course none of them had ever worked out. He knew all women were repulsed by him, and would not want to be seen with him. This all made Christine's admission to going out with him all that stranger. Over the years Kamir had given up on trying to set him up at Erik's insistence, and he had left him alone .

"I am taking her to that new opera at the Royal London opera house, and then I have booked a table at la tranche de ciel ."

"Wow, that's a lot for a first date. You must _really _like her."

There was no use in denying it. "Yes, I do. She is incredible. We share the same tastes in music, and she doesn't seem to care about....well you know."

"I hope this works out for you Erik. I've always wanted you to find someone."

Erik was not one for emotional displays, and Kamir was making him feel uncomfortable.

"Now that you've done that, can you leave? Like I said I have a lot to do."

"Always very welcoming aren't you." He said, sarcastically. "Good luck and I'll see you later." He downed the rest of the whiskey, and left Erik alone with his thoughts.

It was Thursday evening, and he only had one day left before his date with Christine, and he couldn't be more terrified. On the night he had met Christine at the Piano room, she had mentioned that she loved French food, and so he knew she would love the tiny French restaurant he had booked a table at. It was situated in a well hidden area in Kensington, and came with a beautiful roof top balcony, which boasted what he deemed at the best view London had to offer. Booking the tickets to the opera had been no problem, seeing as he owned a private box there. It was showing one of his favourite operas, and he hoped Christine liked it as well. For the first time in a long time he found himself actually looking forward to something. In fact he could not wait to see Christine again, and as far as he was concerned Friday could not come any faster.

**AN-Sorry the date was not in this chapter. It will be in the next chapter, and I should be able to update within the next couple of days. It will also be a lot longer! Remember to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I have decided to start answering reviews on here, as some are anonymous, so I can't reply.**

**aSqueeIntheDistance- Thank you. You will just have to wait and see how things play out. **(: **And no, I don't have a beta as of yet. **

**Eriksangelofmusic4eva- Perhaps something will happen on the date, but I don't think it's what you think. **

**loveofdarkness143- Yes, he's a dream isn't he! Perhaps this chapter will show how she reacts. I went back and emended the mistakes. Thanks!**

**Lost_in_the_Mist- i hadn't considered a mirror scene, but you have got me thinking, hmmmm.**

**Thank you to everyone else who reviewed aswell! **

_A nice long chapter for you all today. I have split the date into two chapters, as it was rather long. _

Twenty-five past seven on Friday night found a very stressed Christine stood in front of her mirror, scrutinising her appearance, her face screwed up with annoyance. She could have sworn that the dress looked much better in the shop than it did now. She tugged at the skirt, frowning. It must have been that dammed mirror, which made her look much thinner. Perhaps it was a little too revealing after all, she thought, turning around so she could see her back. She didn't have time to change though. Erik was due to arrive in 5 minutes, and she couldn't think of anything else she would feel comfortable in tonight. She finished off by dusting herself with blusher, and applying scent to her wrists and neck. She was as ready as she would ever be.

Right on half past seven the intercom rang, signalling that Erik was downstairs. She leapt up, and ran to the door.

"Hi." She spoke into the machine. "Erik, is that you?"

"Hello, Christine." His silky voice caressed her senses, even through the intercom, and she shivered inside.

"Come right up." She pressed the buzzer, allowing him into the building. She gave her apartment a quick glance. It was a tip as usual, with clothes, shoes and other objects lying around haphazardly. There was no way she could let him see it such a state. She had no time to do anything about it, as she heard him knocking at the door at that moment. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before pulling open the door.

Her eyes widened when she saw him. If it was possible he looked even more gorgeous than before, dressed in a long black woollen coat, and stunning black suit, with a crisp white shirt. She was a little disappointed that she couldn't see his face, as he was wearing a wide brimmed hat which shrouded most of his face in darkness. It did give him a very sexy, mysterious look though, which reminded her of an Italian gangster. It was all she could do not to swoon right there.

"Good evening, Christine." Erik was only just able to speak the words. She was a vision. Her dark brown curly hair was pulled up in an elegant knot at the back of her head, and a few stray tendrils had escaped to frame her beautiful face, and neck. He had the overwhelming temptation to move those curls aside, and touch her creamy skin, but he of course refrained Her eyes were dusted a Smokey grey colour, and her lips were painted a light pink. As for the dress she was wearing, he had never seen anything so arousing. A dark shade of blue, it hugged her curves perfectly, and showed off her luscious long legs. He had to physically drag his eyes away from her gorgeous body. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you. So do you." Her beautiful glittering blue eyes smiled at him guilelessly.

Erik frowned at her compliment, but didn't say anything. He knew he was anything but beautiful, but perhaps she was just returning the compliment without thinking.

"This is for you, my dear." He handed her a rose, identical to the one she had found in her dressing room.

She took it, and raised it to her nose, breathing in it's scent. "Oh, Erik, it's beautiful. Thank you. It was you who left the rose in my dressing room wasn't it?"

Erik smiled. "Yes, it was. I am glad you liked it."

"It was lovely. Thank you." She placed the rose along with the other in the vase by the window, and joined Erik by the door.

"Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes." She grabbed a bag and her green coat from the chair by the door, and followed him out of the door. Thank God he hadn't come in and seen the bomb site that was her apartment.

_Perhaps he will see it later though?_ _Stop it Christine, it is your first date!_ She shook her head, attempting to stop such thoughts. Erik was a total gentleman, and the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was easy.

Erik led her outside, and down the steps of her apartment building. He was rather surprised that she was ready to leave straight away. Didn't woman always take forever to get ready?

"Wow, it that yours?" Christine's eyes widened as she saw the large black Rolls Royce phantom parked outside. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you." As he led her to the car, a man in a chauffeur's hat got out of the front seat. "Christine, this is Henry, he will be driving us tonight." She had never been driven in a chauffeur driven car before. How could Erik possibly afford all of this?

Henry removed his hat, and bowed, which made Christine giggle. "It's a pleasure to meet you Henry." He moved to open the back door for Christine, but Erik made it before him. "If you'll allow me."

Christine smiled at him, as he helped her into the car. He was such a gentlemen. Surely door opening went out in the Victorian era. Erik then moved over to the other side of the car, and opened the door for himself, before Henry could, leaving his venture out of the car totally pointless.

Christine gasped as the door slid closed by itself. She settled down into the soft cream coloured leather seat. Never had she sat on anything so comfortable. The bucket seat hugged her bottom like a caress, making her want to stay there all night. The interior of the car was spectacular, cloaked in chrome and wood. She was afraid to touch anything, lest she leave fingerprints behind. Soft classical music was emanating form all around the car. Christine remembered hearing that the Rolls Royce Phantom came with 15 speakers, along with two floor-mounted subwoofers. She could feel the soft vibrating beneath her feet, and she couldn't help wondering what it would feel like with the volume turned up to full blast, and giggled at the thought.

"This is so impressive, Erik." She smiled at him as he settled next to her. He finally removed his hat, and she was able to see his gorgeous face. He glanced at her, nervously, before speaking.

"I am glad you like it. I decided to bring this car, so I can give you my whole attention. Are you interested in cars?"

"Not particularly, but my Dad was. Every time I see an expensive or vintage car I think of him." Christine was surprised that she had ventured that piece of information about her father. Because of Gloria, she never talked about him to anyone.

The car pulled away from the curb and drove away, making no sound. The smooth purr of the car, made Christine feel very relaxed. That and her wonderful date, combined to make her feel like she was in heaven.

"Would you like some champagne?" He pressed a button on a dial in front to him, and a hidden cabinet slid open to reveal a bottle of champagne and two, frosted glasses.

"Yes, please."

He unscrewed the cork, and it popped loudly. He quickly poured the sparkling yellow liquid into a glass, before it overflowed, and handed it to her, before pouring his own.

"Thank you. Here's to tonight." She clinked her glass against his, and took a sip. She closed her eyes in pleasure. It was delicious, and warmed her insides as she swallowed it, taking the edge off her nerves.

Erik heard her slight moan of pleasure having tasted the champagne, and it made him long to hear that sound again, but for a much different reason. Oh boy was he in deep.

"Erik, can I ask you a question?"

Here it came, Erik thought with a sigh. She was going to ask about his face. He knew he had to talk about it at some point, but he had felt so comfortable when he was with Christine, he had almost felt normal, even attractive if that was possible. Of course he was deluding himself. He was not normal, and certainly not attractive, and the sooner he accepted that, the better. Christine may have been able to accept him so far, but that didn't mean she wasn't as curious as everyone else.

"Of course." He forced himself to smile, as if her question did not affect him.

"How do you afford all of this?" She gestured around the interior of the car. "Surely working at a computer company can't pay that much." Christine asked. Perhaps he really was in the mafia. The thought was worrying, but undoubtedly sexy.

Erik had not expected that. So she hadn't wanted to ask about his face. He smiled at her before he spoke. "I suppose I wasn't entirely truthful to you before, Christine. I don't just work at Caveliere computing. I own it. My surname is Caveliere." He pointed out.

Christine had not expected that. She really was on a date with a millionaire! Her mother would be thrilled, she thought cynically. She on the other hand, was not. Erik could literally have any woman in the world. Not only was he handsome, but wealthy too. Why did he want to go out with her? She was starting too really like Erik, but she had to wonder for how long she could hold his attention.

"You own it? That's....impressive." Christine murmured. "Wait a minute. Is the main building on Oxford Street?"

"It is. Why?"

"I work in the restaurant on the top floor. I'm surprised I have never seen you around."

"I don't go there very often. I get others to run it for me, and I work from home."

Christine found that a little strange, but thought no more of it. She would love a job that let her work from home.

Erik was a little surprised at her reaction. On the very few "dates" he had been on before, and he used the term date in its loosest possible sense, his money had been the only reason the women agreed to go out with him. Christine was the first woman he had been out with who hadn't known about his wealth prior to the date. What's more upon finding out about it, she looked almost disappointed.

"So where are we going?" Christine changed the subject, as she took another sip of champagne.

Erik smiled then. It was the first genuine smile she had seen from him, and if possible, he looked even more gorgeous, his green eyes sparkling. "That, my dear is a surprise."

"I love how you are so mysterious." Christine giggled softly. "Can't you give me a tiny hint?" she pleaded.

"Only that I know you will like it."

Erik could not keep his eyes off the beautiful woman sat beside him. The only light was that of the moonlight shining in the car windows, and the odd street light they passed by. Her skin appeared to glow, and now they were sat in such close proximity to each other, he noticed that she smelled heavenly. He could lose himself forever in her smile, and she was smiling brightly at him now, her eyes dancing with laughter. He had always wondered how it would feel to be smiled at like that by a woman, as if they were happy to be with him. Up until now he had been sure he would never know such an experience. Now that he did, he found he wanted to experience it always, but only if it came from Christine.

"What did you do today?" Christine asked.

"Work, mainly. Very boring. How about you?" He omitted to reveal that had in fact got very little work done due to worrying about this date.

"The same, except my work involved serving people lunch, rather than running a multi million pound business. Not exactly the same thing." She laughed, to cover up the nervous fluttering in her stomach. She could just imagine their future conversations if they did get together as a couple.

"_So what did you do today dear?"_

"_I made a billion dollar business deal with Microsoft, and have just developed the highest power computer system the world has known. And you?"_

"_I managed to get through the day without being yelled at for incompetency, and I served 200 cups of coffee."_

Not exactly on the same level, was it?

Erik Caveliere was a genius, and she couldn't help feeing terribly inferior. He was so unlike all the other men that she had know, that it didn't seem to matter. She had been out with smart men before, and they tended to be overly arrogant, and conceited. The conversation nearly focused purely on themselves, and how wonderful they were, and Christine quickly became bored. Erik, on the other hand was none of those things. If anything he seemed under confident, and shy. Surely he realised how talented and good looking he was. His modesty was endearing however, and she enjoyed talking to him about their respective days for the remainder of the journey.

Ten minutes later they arrived at their destination. This time, Henry managed to open her door before Erik could. Christine gasped as she stepped out of the car, and saw where they were.

"Are we going to the opera?" She practically squealed. She had always wanted to go to the London Royal opera house, but she had never had the chance. Meg had claimed opera to be the most boring thing in creation, and so had most of her other friends. As for her mother, the mere thought of her going to anything remotely cultural was laughable, and as far as boyfriends were concerned, none of them had shared her passion for music.

"Yes, are you pleased?" Erik came around the car to meet her.

"Very much. I've always wanted to come here."

Erik led her towards the front of the huge white building. Feeling very daring, Christine linked her arm through his, wanting to be as close to him as possible. He stiffened slightly, and she thought she might have been a little too forward, but he relaxed into her hold quickly. He made her feel so warm and secure, and she couldn't help smiling with pride that he was with her.

Erik was thrilled that Christine seemed so pleased about their destination. He was even more thrilled when she willingly took his arm, as they walked into the building. He couldn't stop himself from grinning broadly, from the pride of having such a beautiful woman on his arm.

They were shown up a winding staircase to a smaller corridor, and through a door, with a number five above it. Were they going to be in a box? "Wow, these have to be the best seats in the house." Christine leaned over the small balcony of their box, causing Erik's insides to leap in fear of her falling.

"Come away, Christine. You'll fall." He pulled her back, gently, and gestured for her to sit down.

"How did you manage to book a box on such short notice?" Christine was now sat with her arms resting on the red velvet covered balcony, gazing down at the people entering the stalls.

"I own this particular box, so it wasn't a problem." Erik sat down next to her after removing his coat and hat, and placing them of the other chair, along with Christine's coat and bag.

"You own the box!" Christine sat up, to stare at him incredulously. She could only imagine how much that would cost.

"Well, others can use it if I am not, but they have to ask me first." He grinned at her, devilishly, causing her insides to melt.

"That's incredible. I can't believe you can just come here whenever you want." She tried to keep the hint of jealousy out of her voice. Was she one woman in a long list he took to the opera? He probably took a new woman out every week, and impressed them with his fancy cars, and private boxes.

"Ahh, so the truth comes out. You're going out with me for my private box." Erik teased.

"Along with many other reasons." She teased back. "So then, just how many women have you brought to your private box?" Her tone was still teasing, but had an underlying hint of jealousy, she hoped he didn't notice.

Erik frowned. "You are the first." He muttered.

"Ha!" Christine burst out loudly. "I don't believe you! Really? Were your other girlfriends not fans of opera? I must admit I have had the same problem. You are the first man I have met that shares my passion." She beamed at him, but her smile quickly faded when she saw Erik's face. He was glaring at her, with what looked like anger.

"I don't have other girlfriends, Christine." He growled.

"What do you mean? Someone as gorgeous as you must be fighting them off with a stick." She exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood, which had taken an icy chill.

"What are you talking about?" Erik hissed. Christine was a little afraid now, not knowing what was causing his sudden anger.

"I...I, well you must know how good looking you are." She murmured. Why was he getting so angry? She knew he was modest, but this was taking it to another level.

"Have you seen me?" He spoke through gritted teeth, gesturing to his face.

Christine stared at him, bewildered. She was actually becoming a little afraid of him now. Did this man honestly think he wasn't beautiful? She had sensed he had slight self esteem issues, and was very modest about his genius, but she hadn't expected this. What had happened to him in the past to make him believe he was anything but gorgeous?

"I think it's about to begin." She gestured towards the stage, where the music was beginning. The lights began to fade, and they fell into silence.

Erik had been waiting to see this opera for a while, but he could not concentrate, even though the music really was quite good. He had truly thought that Christine was different to all the other women he had known. Perhaps in lying to him, she thought it would make him feel better, or even that he may believe her. Perhaps many years ago, he would have done, but not now. He knew he looked hideous, and there was no denying that fact. Christine was acting toward him as though he was God's gift to women, and it made him feel very uncomfortable. Moving his head to glance at her, he took in her beautiful features once more, and sighed. The truth was, all that aside, he still really liked her. She was the first woman he had met that seemed to genuinely like him for who he was, and he was not going to do anything to ruin that. Okay, so he wasn't handsome. He knew this, and Christine did too, no matter how much she may say otherwise, but they did have many things in common, and if she loved being with him even a tenth as much as he loved being with her, then perhaps they could build a relationship together. He had never hoped for anything more than for that to occur.

When the first act was over, Christine gazed at Erik nervously. She hoped he wasn't still mad. She really liked him, and the last thing she wanted to do was mess up the relationship before it had even begun.

"Erik, I'm sorry if I said anything to offend you. I really like you, and I think we could have something good here." She smiled nervously, hoping in revealing that information, she didn't scare him off forever.

"That's okay, Christine. Think nothing of it." He murmured, only glancing at her briefly. "Would you like to get a drink from the bar downstairs?"

"I would love to." They walked out of the box; arm in arm, and down the long winding staircase towards the bar. The awkwardness from before seemed to have gone, and they slipped into an easy conversation about the opera.

As they were purchasing their drinks, they were interrupted a couple of times by various acquaintances of Erik's. These seemed to consist mainly of smartly dressed old men, and their equally dour looking wives. They tended to ignore Christine totally, even though Erik introduced her every time. Christine was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable in this surrounding. All of Erik's friends were terribly snobby, and she honestly couldn't tell why he associated with them.

Erik was wonderful, and introduced her to everyone they met, as if he were introducing the queen. Erik was talking to a portly, balding man, and Christine took the opportunity to visit the bathroom. She was reapplying her lip gloss, when she was approached by a tall, blonde woman, dressed in a bright red dress, which made Christine's outfit look extremely modest in comparison. However, the dress did not look good on her, but merely hung off her skeletally thin body. She smiled at her, through the mirror, her obviously botoxed face stretching grotesquely. Christine did not feel inclined to smile back. There was something about this woman that she did not like, and her terrible physical appearance was only the start of it. Her eyes were too far apart, narrowed unattractively, as she looked down at Christine. "Christine is it?" She put out her long nailed hand for Christine to shake. Her hand was cold, and clammy, and Christine had to resist the urge to wiper her hand on her coat. "I'm Alexia. So you've decided to try and land Erik Caveliere have you? I must admit, I have to admire your courage." Her voice was overtly upper-class, as if she was putting it on to achieve an air of sophistication. It did not work, and only made her appear snobby.

"I'm sorry?" Christine tried to remain polite, but this woman was making her very uncomfortable.

"Oh, come now." Alexia simpered, lowering her voice. "You can't tell me you are out with him for the sheer pleasure of it. Like I said, I admire your courage. I couldn't do it. Not that I didn't think of it at one point."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Christine found her patience wearing thin with this woman.

Alexia merely laughed, shrilly, making her look rather like a hyena. "Playing the sweet, and innocent game are you. Look, honey. I know what you are. We all do, so just let me give you a piece of advice. Cut the crap, and just be honest with me, if you want in with my crowd, okay." She patted her on the arm, wrinkling her piggish nose at her in mock affection. "Here's my card. We should do lunch sometime, and I will introduce you to the rest of the crowd. They will definitely want to meet you." She handed her a crimson red card, with _Alexia Walton_ written on it, and a phone number in gold lettering. Alexia gave her reflection one last look, and flounced out of the bathroom, her nonexistent hips swaying.

Christine stared at the card in her hand. What had just happened? Why had that hideous woman just given her her card? She had made no sense whatsoever. She appeared to know Erik in some respect, but she hadn't mentioned how. Why had she said she admired her courage? Perhaps she had mistaken her for someone else. Christine was still going over the absurd exchange, as she made her way back out to the foyer to meet Erik. Alexia couldn't have mistaken her for someone else; as she had known her name, and that she was with Erik. In that case, what on earth could she had meant. All Christine knew for sure was that she despised the woman already, and there was no way she wanted to meet her again, or he crowd, whoever they were. She decided to put the incident from her mind, and approached Erik, where he was stood, still talking to the portly older man.

"Erik." She whispered in his ear. "Can we go back to the box yet?"

"Of course, my dear." He took her arm once more, and led her back up to their box.

"Erik, do you know Alexia Walton?" Christine asked him, as they sat back down in their seats.

"I know her vaguely, yes." Erik answered, stiffly. "She is a model, and I met her a long time ago at a ball my company held."

"She's a model!" Christine exclaimed, shocked. That explained why she was skeletally thin. Evidently models were not required to be attractive these days.

Christine had hoped for some more information about her, but he didn't seem to want to elaborate.

There was no more time to talk anyway, as the second act was just beginning. After a few minutes, Christine was able to cease thinking about Alexia Walton, and lost herself in the beauty of the music.

"Thank you Erik, I had a wonderful time." Christine was still wiping the tears from her eyes as they left the theatre. She had been weeping profusely at the tragic end of the love story the opera had portrayed, and Erik couldn't help but smile at this beautiful woman who didn't seem ashamed of her tears. That was one thing he would never master, but then again, men were not supposed to cry at all, so it didn't make him that strange.

"It isn't over yet, my dear. Are you hungry?"

"Now that I think about it, yes, I'm starving." Christine declared. She had been hopeful that their date wasn't over yet. She couldn't remember that last time she had had such fun with a man. Early dates were often awkward, and uncomfortable, and a lot of the time she would be clock watching, not being able to wait until it was over, and she could go home. With Erik, however she felt no such desire, and the only time she had felt any awkwardness was earlier on, when they were in the box. In fact, she wanted the date to last as long as possible.

**AN- As hopefully you can tell, Christine can also see inner ugliness! What a horrible cow Alexia is!**


	10. Chapter 10

_Here is the rest of the date. This whole date was very fun to write, as I simply described my dream date with Erik_!

As they were leaving the opera house, Christine noticed a crowd of women in the entrance, of which she recognised Alexia Walton. She whispered something to one of her companions, and they turned to look at her, giggling. Christine turned her head away from them, and hugged her arm closer to Erik's. That woman made her feel very nervous, and she wasn't quite sure why. All she knew was that she wanted nothing to do with her.

Erik opened the door to the car, which Henry had just parked up in front of them. Christine wondered how he had known they were only just coming out, seeing as the performance had ended rather late. Erik must have let him know, but he hadn't made any phone calls. It was all very magical, and Christine felt very special getting into the classy car with the handsome man on her arm.

"So, where are we going to eat?"

Erik chuckled, his laugh sounding almost musical. "Again, that is a surprise. I think you will like it though."

The smooth car journey only lasted a couple of minutes, before they arrived at their destination. Christine was surprised when the car turned off and drove down a tiny alley, with high stone walls on either side. They had to drive slowly, as the car was almost as wide as the street.

"Erik, where are we going?" There couldn't be any restaurants down here, surely. It was far too out of the way.

"We are going to a tiny French restaurant called the _Tranche de Ciel_.* Hardly anyone knows about, and it's very exclusive. I think you'll like it very much."

"I love French food. It sounds lovely."

The car stopped outside the entrance to what looked like a small courtyard, although it was hard to tell due to the bushes which grew all the way along the high stone wall. Erik and Christine managed to get out of the car, with a small amount of difficulty, due to the narrowness of the street, and Henry drove off down the street towards the other end. Erik pressed a button next to the door, and a few minutes later, the door was opened by a small woman, with short, black hair. Her face broke into a huge friendly grin when she saw them, and ushered them inside.

"Erik! How are you my dear? And this must be Christine." She shook Christine's hand warmly. "Come here dear, let me look at you." She pulled Christine into the light, and began talking before Erik could introduce her. "I am Maria. I doubt Erik told you about me did he? Ah yes, you are very beautiful." She turned to Erik. "Erik, you never told me how beautiful your girlfriend was!" She chastised.

Erik was sure he must have turned bright red. Trust Maria go say something like that. Perhaps introducing Christine to Maria on their first date was a bad idea he thought to himself. He glanced over at Christine to see how she had reacted to the "girlfriend" comment, but she evidently hadn't noticed, as she was still smiling along with Maria.

"Thank you, Maria. It's a pleasure to meet you." Christine giggled. She couldn't help but like this woman already. Had Erik told her she was his girlfriend? Somehow she doubted it, but perhaps Maria hoped to speed things along with them, in calling her that. She wondered how Erik knew her. He had never mentioned anyone called Maria to her before.

Maria led them both through the gate "Oh my, it's beautiful!" Christine exclaimed as she gazed around her. They had entered what did indeed turn out to be a court yard. The entire place was filled with flowers, plants, and tall, flickering candles, stuck into the ground around the path which led the way to another door, which Christine guessed must lead to the restaurant. There was a small sign above what must have been the main door, which read_ tranche de ciel _in blue writing_. _

"Erik hasn't told me much about you my dear, which is typical of him." She turned her attention towards Erik, and gave him a good natured glare. "I am so happy to meet you." Maria said as she opened the door, and they walked inside. She then turned to Erik, and whispered something to him in French. "Vous devriez l'épouser. Rapidement.*"

"Maria! Be quiet!" Erik hissed, clearly annoyed at what she had said. Christine wished she had listened more during her French lessons, as she had not understood a word. Maria merely ignored Erik's protests, and simply grinned at them both, before ushering the further into the restaurant.

The_ tranche de ciel_ was like a tiny patch of paradise in the hustle and bustle of inner city London. There were only a few tables, and each one was beautifully laid, and strategically placed, giving the occupants privacy, even though the room was very small. Only two of the five tables were filled, and both sets of couples did not seem to notice their arrival. The place was made for romance, and Christine couldn't help but feel giddy just looking around her. Dim lighting, created by the red shaded lamps, and tall candles enhanced the atmosphere of sophistication, and yet the low beamed ceiling gave it a homely appeal. How could she have never known about this place? It was spectacular in its simplicity.

Maria knew as soon as she saw the mysterious Christine whom Erik had only mentioned briefly on the phone that she and Erik belonged together. She had been wary when Erik mentioned that he was bringing a woman to her restaurant, and had been fully prepared to hate her. After what Erik had been through with that dreadful girl when he was younger, and what she knew of many of the women who targeted him due to his wealth, he did not deserve to be hurt again. Upon meeting Christine, however, she knew that she was not like those others, but truly liked Erik, or if she wasn't mistaken, falling in love with him. It was all in her eyes when she looked at him, and it made her smile to see it. Erik was like the son she had never had, and she wanted to see him happy more than anything.

"This is simply lovely!" Christine exclaimed, as she gazed around her. "I can't believe I have never have never heard of this place before."

"Thank you. I don't advertise so it's just through word of mouth that people know about it." Maria smiled at her, warmly. "Come this way my dears."

Much to Christine's surprise, Marie took them through the restaurant, and out through a back door, which lead up a winding spiral staircase.

"Oh, Erik, this is so exciting. Where are we going now?"

"I have reserved a private table to give us more privacy." Erik had thought she would prefer that. Even though the place was very small, and there were only a few others eating there too, she would still most likely be uncomfortable being seen with someone like him. He was used to the stares, but she was not. Also, the roof terrace was spectacular, and he knew she would love it.

Marie led them up the steps, and through yet another door, out onto what must be the roof. Christine had thought the _tranche de ciel_ could not get any more beautiful, but she was proved very wrong. The roof boasted a similar theme to the front court yard, with flowers and plants all around. It was wonderfully warm too, and there was no wind. She realised this was due to the strategically placed walls, which blocked any such gushes. There were three walls, which meant they were given a beautiful view of London. The lights from the cars and buildings glittered below and the large worm of black which was the Thames wound its way through the city. London was no magical land, and yet from up here, it looked as if it could be.

There was only one table situated in the centre of the small roof terrace. It was beautifully set, which a single red rose in a vase, and a bottle of chilled water already on the table, and there was soft violin music coming from all around. Christine was enchanted. Never had any man put so much effort into a first date, as if he truly wanted to see her again, and would go to any lengths to do so.

Erik pulled Christine's chair for her, before taking his own seat opposite her. It was those little things he did which made her love him so much. Wait, did she just say love? She couldn't be going down that road quite yet. She had only known the man a few days. Maria poured them some water, and left them to peruse the menu.

"What did Maria just say?" Christine asked Erik.

"Say when?" Erik mocked confusion.

"Just then, downstairs. She said something in French, and you told her to be quiet."

"Oh." Erik paused. "It was nothing. She was merely chastising me for not visiting her recently."

"I see." She lied. He was clearly making that up. If that was the case then why was she speaking French? She didn't want to argue with him already though. It wasn't quite the time to show her true colours. "So you know her well then? She seemed very nice."

"I've known Maria for years."

There was a brief pause in the conversation in which they looked at the menus, and Christine continued to gaze around her.

"This place is simply amazing. How did you ever find it?" Christine asked Erik, as she gazed around her.

"I didn't. I designed it." Erik said, offhandedly, as he glanced down at the menu.

Christine choked on her water, and gaped at him. "You designed it? You have superb taste, Erik. I've never been anywhere like this before. Well, I suppose downstairs reminded me a bit of the piano room. You didn't design that as well did you?" she laughed, jokingly.

"As a matter of fact I did. It's a bit of a hobby of mine, I guess." Erik smiled at her, nervously.

"Have you designed anything else?" Christine asked, fascinated. Just when she thought Erik could not be any more talented, and interesting, she found out about his "hobby" which in itself must have made him very rich.

"I have done a spot of architecture. Nothing grand, but a few personal homes, and places like this. It keeps me from getting bored." He shrugged, and Christine giggled.

"You are so modest Erik. You are very talented, I hope you know that."

"So people keep telling me. Do you know what you would like to order, or would you like me to choose for you."

"Oh, I've always wanted a man to do that on a date. Yes please."

"Alright then." Erik glanced down his menu. He didn't want to be like one of those idiots who had let such an amazing woman slip through their fingers. "I would recommend fried Brie to start, and the soul fillet roulade as a main. As far wine is concerned, the Chablis goes very well. That's what I always get."

Christine was once again struck with the thought that he must have taken many women out to this restaurant before. It was not the kind of place one came to with a friend or relative. It had romance and seduction written all over it. She decided not to mention this, considering the response she had received last time. The last thing she wanted was to make him angry again. The evening was quickly turning into one of the best she had ever had, and she didn't want to ruin it.

"That sound's lovely. You don't fancy any snails as an hor d'oeuvre?" She giggled, as she glanced down the menu. They are actually rather tasty."

Erik grimaced. "I can't stand them. Horrid things."

Christine mock gasped, and held her hand to her breast. "A Frenchman who doesn't like snails! Surely that is against the law. Next thing, you'll be telling me you don't like frog's legs either."

"No. Frog's legs are delicious."

"Now, that's where we are different. I hate them, but I guess it is because I used to have a pet frog when I was a kid." She smiled brightly, her beautiful eyes glittering.

"A pet frog?" Erik chuckled. "That's unusual."

"Well he wasn't so much of a pet. He lived in our pond. He was pretty much wild." Christine closed the menu, and placed it on the table in front of her. "I am so glad I have you with me to tell me what everything is. My friend once tried chicken's crests in a French restaurant. She didn't know what she was ordering, and she was pretty shocked when it came out. I think there were brains too!" By this time Christine was laughing so hard, she thought her ribs were going to crack. Just thinking about Carlotta and the chicken's crests made her fall about. There was of course the added factor of the alcohol she had already consumed that night, which seemed to be catching up with her. Luckily, Erik didn't seem to think she was too weird, and was laughing along with her. "I've never told anyone this," Christine lowered her voice, which was actually pointless seeing a there was no one around, and even if there was they would hardly care. "I knew what she was ordering, but I didn't say anything. She deserved it though" She pulled a sheepish face.

Just then, Maria arrived back to take their order. (They decided against the snails in the end). Erik ordered for them, and handed Maria their menus, and she disappeared off down the spiral staircase, humming merrily.

"How long ago did you design this place?" Christine asked, before pouring herself, and Erik a glass of water, which Maria had brought out.

"It must have been six years ago now. I have known Maria for since I was eleven. She practically raised me, and she always used to say her dream was to own a French restaurant, in London, so I built it for her." Erik knew there was little he could do to truly thank Maria for all she had done for him, but the restaurant had been a start.

"Maria raised you? But what about your parents?" Christine gazed at him across the table, concern etched on her adorable features. Very few people knew about his past, and those that did either felt he deserved it or merely pitied him. Something about Christine gave him the feeling that he could tell her anything, and she wouldn't judge him.

"My father died before I was born, and my mother gave me away to a foster home when I was five. I hated it there." Erik closed his eyes, trying not to remember all the abuse he had received at the hands of those so called foster parents. "That was why I ran away to England at such a young age. I guess I had had enough by then. I met Maria when I arrived in London."

"Oh Erik, that is terrible." Christine gasped. She noticed his eyes were closed, and she reached forward and grasped his hand in hers, which was resting on the table. His eyes snapped open, and he almost made to jerk his hand away, but decided against it. She didn't want him to move away, so she clasped a little harder, and rubbed her thumb gently along his hand. She had not been mistaken when she had noticed the pain in his eyes. He had obviously suffered a great deal in his life. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." It was amazing how the conversation had turned from laughing hysterically to such a depressing topic in a short space of time.

"No, its fine Christine. I never talk about it, but with you I feel that I can."

"You can talk to me about anything, Erik. I can't believe she gave you away! What a ..... What a cow!" Christine wanted to say a far better word to describe the woman who she already hated with a vengeance.

Erik laughed harshly. "One could hardly blame her. She couldn't have been pleased as having been given a son like me." He spoke the words scathingly.

"Are you crazy! You can't blame yourself. She gave you away at five years old!" Just the thought of a five year old Erik left alone in the care of strangers made her want to cry. The fact that he seemed to blame himself for this made it even worse. Erik would have been any woman's dream child. He was sweet, kind, and talented at so many different things. Not to mention that he must have made the most adorable child imaginable. His mother must have found herself terrible at parenting, and felt the best thing she could do was to give him away. Evidently it had been the wrong decision, due to everything he must have endured. Erik didn't respond, so she carried on talking. "Did you ever see her again?"

Erik scoffed. "Not for years. I think she hoped to never see me again, but she contacted me a few years ago, after my company became a success."

"She did what!? You didn't speak to her did you?"

Erik did not know how to answer that. Christine had not reacted to his story a he would have guessed. Instead of showing pity, she seemed to become angry. He had asked himself many times why he had allowed his mother back into his life, and he couldn't honestly say why he had. Just like every other woman she had only showed interest in him when he had made money. In many ways he was still that tiny child, alone, afraid, and after so many years, still yearning for a mother's love. He knew he was a fool for doing so, but he thought that in letting her back into his life, he could prove to her that he had made something of his life, and perhaps earn the love he had so desperately craved as a child.

"I don't see her often. Only when she wants something." Erik muttered.

Christine did not want to push the subject further. She could not imagine how he could speak to such a vile woman again after what she had done, but she came to the conclusion that she knew very little about the situation. She was his mother after all, and he must have loved her in spite of what she had done. After all she still loved Gloria, even though there was no way she was going to win a Mother of the Year award at any point in the near future.

Thankfully, Maria arrived with their starters at that point, and brought her sunny atmosphere with her, breaking up their conversation.

"How are you, my dears? You're not too cold up here are you?" She gushed, as she gave them their food.

"Not at all, it's lovely." Christine smiled as she placed her starter in front of her. "This whole place is amazing."

"Well thank you very much my dear. If there is anything else you need just shout." She disappeared off towards the exit, humming to herself.

Christine speared a slice of the honey coated brie with her folk, and took a mouthful. It was delicious, and melted beautifully in her mouth. She closed her eyes to savour the food, and moaned. The place certainly lived up to its name.

"This is gorgeous. Have you tried it?" She asked Erik, who hadn't eaten anything yet, and was simply staring at her.

Erik had to mentally shake himself when he dimly registered that she was talking. This woman had to make eating an erotic act, with her sighs of pleasure. Surely the food wasn't that good?

"I have, yes. I am glad you are enjoying it." He finally took a bite. As usual, Maria's honey coated brie was divine, but did Christine have to moan like that? Soon, he would find sitting like this a great deal more uncomfortable if she carried on. He moved slightly in his chair, trying to ignore her obvious enjoyment of the food.

Deciding that Erik was obviously still uneasy about their previous conversation, Christine decided to change the subject to something she knew they both shared a passion for. Music.

"So, other than opera, what kind of music do you like best?"

"I love many types. Jazz, classical, and I even enjoy a lot of rock music."

"You say that like it's a bad thing. Some of my favourite songs are rock ballads. Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones kept me going as a teenager." Christine declared.

Erik laughed. "I prefer The Beatles myself."

"Oh, I love the Beatles too. Who doesn't." She grinned, as she popped another piece of brie into her mouth. "Who's this playing at the moment?" Christine gestured around her, where the classical violin music was still playing.

"It's Bach's double violin concerto in D minor. It is one of my favourites"

"Oh mine too! Well now it is anyway." She blushed. Erik had never seen a woman blush as much as Christine. He thought it was adorable, and he couldn't help thinking about how far that blush went. _That's not the way to relieve your ache, Erik! _

Christine could feel her cheeks turning red. She blushed at everything when she was nervous, and she had never been this nervous before. Come to think of it, it wasn't nerves she was feeling, at least not as she had been feeling before her first performance at the piano room. This was more due to the unexplainable feeling she was experiencing with this man. She didn't know what it was, but she wanted this night to go well more than she had ever wanted anything.

They managed to slip into an easy conversation about music, and Christine was surprised to learn that they both enjoyed music for the same reason. It was their form of escape from the world, into another far more magical one. She wondered what Erik needed to escape from. The world had obviously not been kind to him, what with being abandoned at such a young age. Then again, what was she trying to escape from? The truth was, she didn't even know that herself.

The rest of the meal went by like a dream. She felt she could talk to Erik about anything, and there was never a lull in the conversation. They talked about everything and nothing, from musical tastes to travelling. She discovered that Erik had done a great deal of travelling, and had even spent a year in Iran, where he had met Kamir.

The soul roulade was equally delicious, and the chocolate torte she had for pudding was the most wonderful thing Christine had ever eaten.

She was making those noises again. Those agonising moans, which made Erik almost jealous of that chocolate pudding she was eating. It was defiantly taking up way too much of her attention at the moment. What could possibly be so special about chocolate? When she had finished, he was able to relax, and to breathe once more.

The stepped out onto the main street outside the tiny alley which held the _tranche de ciel. _Henry was waiting in the car, and Erik opened the door for her again. Christine was very sad that the date was over. This had been without a doubt the most wonderful evening of her life. It didn't take long for them to arrive back at Christine's apartment building, due to the lack of traffic this late at night.

Erik walked Christine up the steps, and there was that awkward moment, when she had finally managed to open the door, and they were simply stood on the door step. Was he going to kiss her? It was only their second date, and the first real one. That didn't seem to matter however. She wanted to ask him inside, but that was definitely something she didn't do on first dates. That had mainly to do with the fact that she had never really wanted to do that on a first date before. If truth be told she had never enjoyed sex that much. Men had a tendency to be incredibly selfish lovers in her experience, not that she had that much of it. Something told her it would be very different with Erik though. There mere idea of making love with him made her feel weak at the knees.

"I had a wonderful time tonight, Erik." Christine smiled nervously up at him.

"So did I." Erik paused as if not sure whether to say the next thing. "A very good time in fact. I don't remember when I last enjoyed myself this much."

"I feel the same." Christine beamed. "I would love to see you again?" She framed it as a question, hoping he would take the hint.

His face broke into one of his rare but beautiful smiles. "So would I. I will call you tomorrow."

This was it. It would be the perfect time for him to kiss her. She even moved ever so much closer to make it easier for him to do so.

"Goodnight Christine." He took her hand in his, and gently kissed the back of her knuckles, causing her to almost shiver in want. She loved it that Erik was such a gentleman, but she wished he would forget about it right then, and just kiss her properly. It was clear that he had no such plans however.

"Goodnight, Erik." Feeling suddenly very brave, Christine leaned forward, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, before stepping into the building. Much as she wanted to kiss him properly, it was enough for now.

Erik stood on the steps outside Christine's building, mouth agape in shock. She had kissed him! Had that really just happened? Had Christine truly just kissed him? She had touched her perfect lips to his hideous face, and she didn't seem to care. No one had ever kissed him. Not even his own mother could bring herself to do so. It was then that he started to wonder is Christine really was an angel. Either that or she was some figment of his deluded imagination. She wasn't though. She was very real, and she had kissed him!

He was smiling broadly, as he stepped into the car. He was sure Henry must be terribly confused at his boss's sudden, unexpected happiness, but he didn't care. For the first time in his life he actually felt as if he stood a chance at happiness. It was then that he began to devise his plan. He would make Christine fall in love with him, for he knew beyond any doubt that he was in love with her.

**French translations-**

** *Tranche de Ciel- slice of heaven**

***Vous devriez l'épouser. Rapidement.- You should marry her. Quickly. **

**Hope you enjoyed, and remember to review!  
**


	11. Chapter 11

_Please don't kill me!! I am soooo sorry for the huge gap, but I have had so much uni work it is unreal. Exams are coming up, and I have been bogged down with revision. I do not know when I will be able to update after this chapter, but I should be able to at some point within the next 2 weeks. Come the first of june i will finally be free and will be updating loads!_

_Another thing- I know a lot of you have expressed concerns regarding when Christine will see the true Erik. All I can say is do not worry. I can't promise an angst free ride, but I do love a happy ending!  
_

_VampPhan- Nope, Erik doesn't wear a mask in this story. I thought it worked better with the story if he didn't.  
_

Christine awoke the next morning with a huge grin on her face. For a few moments she lay in bed, wondering what had brought such unexpected joy to her morning. Normally she awoke in a foul mood. Morning was not her favourite time of day, as it usually meant having to get up to go to work. Today, however she felt almost joyful. It was then that she remembered her magical date with Erik. From start to finish it had been without a doubt the best date she had ever been on, and it had little to do with where he had actually taken her. Not that the opera or the restaurant hadn't been amazing. They had been, but it was mainly due to Erik himself. She couldn't even find words to describe how much she loved spending time with him. She jumped out of bed, and began getting ready for work, all the while humming to herself.

For the first time in a long while, she was not late, and even had time to grab some breakfast. She was just heading out the door, when her phone beeped. Could that be Erik already? She flipped it open, and was filled with disappointment when she saw it was Meg who had texted her. She should have known. Erik didn't seem like the type to text, she thought with a smile.

**Hey Chris. Fancy meeting for coffee later?  
Haven't heard form you in a while. Xxx Meg. **

She quickly texted back, as she walked down the street to the bus stop.

**Sure. How about half 12 at Starbucks?  
I have a lot to tell you!! Xxx Chris**

She couldn't wait to tell Meg all about Erik. She was always filled with advice on how to win a man, and frankly she just wanted to brag about her date from heaven.

..........

"I don't know what you're on, but I want some too." Beth looked over at Christine who was humming happily as she cleared away tables.

"I am high on life, Bethany." Christine beamed, doing a small twirl, as she sprayed the table with disinfectant.

"Well I wish I was. Oh dear, watch out. Mr Toad's coming." Beth scurried away. They would be in trouble if Mr Harrison, or Mr Toad as they called him, found them talking when they should be working.

Beth scurried away in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Christine balancing a pile of plates, so high, she could barely see over the top. She had been so preoccupied with thoughts of a certain hunk named Erik, that she wasn't looking where she was going. Suddenly, she felt her foot stumble, and she fell forward. She flung her hands out automatically, and as a consequence lost the pile of plates, which flew through the air, and landed in a pile of shattered china and food. Christine soon followed, and found herself sprawled out on the floor.

"Christine!"

She looked up from her position of the floor to see Mr Harrison stood above her, covered in what looked like tomato sauce. It appeared she wasn't the only one who had suffered as a consequence of her trip.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Get up now, clear this up, and then go to lunch! When you come back, I want to se you in my office!" He shouted, before storming off.

Christine stood up, glaring after him. Who did he think he was? It wasn't her fault she had tripped. She began clearing away the broken plates, and threw them in the bin.

"Christine! Oh my God, what happened?" Beth came rushing out of the kitchen, concern etched on her face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Beth. Thanks."

Thankfully she had come off relatively unscathed, apart from her arm which was in agony.

She was slightly worried about what Mr Harrison wanted with her after lunch, but right now she was thankful for her lunch break, and once she and Beth had finished clearing away the broken plates, she headed off to meet Meg.

...............

"Oh Meg, it was amazing. He took me to the opera, and he has his own box! Can you imagine that? He can go to the opera whenever he wants."

"I can't imagine anything worse. All that wailing does my head in."

"You just can't appreciate it. Then he took me to this tiny French restaurant in Kensington. We had our own private area on the roof." Christine sighed as she recalled the evening.

"This Erik certainly likes to do things private." Meg chuckled. "So what else can you tell me? Did you kiss him? Did you invite him in for "coffee"?" She signalled the air quotes on the word coffee. They both knew coffee was not what she had meant.

"No I did not! What kind of girl do you think I am?" Christine mocked shock. "He was the perfect gentleman, and walked me to my apartment. I kissed him as I don't think he was going to."

Meg's eyes widened. "You kissed him? Why do you think he wasn't going to kiss you?" Meg asked, before sipping her Caramel Macchiato. "I hate to break it to you sweetie, but that's not a good sign. If a guy doesn't want to kiss you, then he's not interested."

"It wasn't like that. I know it sounds conceited but I could tell he liked me. I don't think a man would put that much effort into a date if he didn't like me. He seems really shy, and he's a total gentleman." Christine found herself drifting off into a dreamy state, just thinking about him. "Oh Meg, I can't wait for you to meet him. You will love him! Actually you had better not love him. He's mine."

"It sounds like you are well and truly over Dan then."

"Who?" For one moment Chrostine had no idea who Meg was talking about. "Oh, Dan! I am very much over him. I have never felt this way about anyone before, and I mean that."

"So when are you going out again?"

"He said he would call me today, but you never know when he actually will. When men say the next day, they often mean sometime next week."

"Well I have to admit, I have never seen you like this. I can't wait to meet him. He sounds dreamy."

They continued to talk about everything and nothing for the remainder of Christine's lunch break, catching up on any gossip. Christine kept glancing at her phone, hoping that Erik would ring. She knew she was being silly. He was a busy man, and probably wouldn't ring her until the evening, or perhaps tomorrow, but that didn't stop her checking it every five minutes.

"I am going to throw that phone at the wall if you don't stop looking at it." Meg threatened. "A watched phone never rings."

..............

Erik slammed the phone down yet again after dialling her number for the seventh time. He groaned, and banged his head on his large mahogany desk.

_Just ring her, you idiot!" _Said the tiny voice at the back of his head. Phone calls were something he rarely had a problem with. Seeing as he didn't go out in public much, he made a lot of them, and they meant he could talk to people without having them stare at his face. Making a phone call to Christine however was terrifying. What if he ended up saying something stupid, and scaring her away? Even worse, what if he had imagined her enjoyment of the previous night, and she made up some excuse so she didn't have to see him again when he called?

For him, Last night had been wonderful. He had enjoyed being with her even more than he had originally thought he would. For the first time in his life he had met someone who shared his dreams and passions, and appeared to want the same things in life that he did. Deciding, that she was probably still at work anyway, and wouldn't be able to pick up the phone, he refrained from attempting to call her again, and tried to get on with some work himself. Later tonight, when she would be home, he would call her and ask her out again.

Saying this however still did not mean he was going to get any work done today. He slammed down the lid of his laptop with a little more vigour that was probably healthy for it, and he stood up. He stared out of the window, down at his garden. The neatly manicured lawn and rows of trees were perfect. The gardener he paid a very handsome fee, ensured that they stayed that way. Erik wasn't quite sure why he even bothered with the gardener. He rarely went down there, except recently to pick the roses he had given Christine from one of the rose bushes, which grew all the way around his property.

To have acquired such a large house with an equally extensive garden in London had been a very expensive purchase, and he still wasn't sure what had made him do it. The Victorian house was large, with far too many bedrooms for one man. The pent house he had previously owned had been fine for him, but for some reason, this house had cried out to him when he had come across it ,quite by accident almost seven years ago. The place had been a tip, with graffiti all over what had once been beautiful dark stone walls, and numerous smashed windows. The windowsills were coated it dry rot, and cracked paint, and parts of it were close to collapse. The inside was just as bad. It was almost empty, as no one had lived in it for years, except the odd tramp, and a few teenagers using it to drink and take drugs. All in all, the entire place had been totally neglected, and as a consequence was a complete mess. For some reason, Erik saw potential in it, and and had made an offer to buy the house. The man he had bought it off had seemed happy to get the house off his hands, and had accepted what Erik thought of as a rather small offer straight away.

Seven years later, the house was spectacular. He has spent a not quite so small fortune transforming it into somewhere a king would be happy to live. He had thought that when he had finished he would achieve some sort of satisfaction, but whatever he had felt, it had been fleeting, and he had moved on to get another project which needed his attention. He always felt that the house was not quite finished, and yet no matter what he did it still did not feel right. He loved the house though, and doubted he would ever move, despite the fact that he would most likely live there alone. That was what he had always thought anyway. Now however, things were changing. He had Christine in his life. He could picture Christine pottering around his house, making changes. If there was one thing it needed, it was a woman's touch, and Christine could provide that beautifully. He could even see her in the garden, digging up the flower beds. He smiled to himself as he pictured that. As far as he knew she had no interest in gardening, and yet he thought that she might in the future.

Sighing, he sat back down, and began to try working once more, while he waited for the time to pass, so he could ring Christine.

..............

After Christine arrived back at work, after her lunch break, she knocked on Mr Harrison's door, apprehensively. She was still unsure what he wanted with her.

"Christine, sit down."

Christine tried to hide her grimace, as she sat down on the dirty looking arm chair he pointed to. She always hated coming in here. There were papers everywhere, and there were no windows, so it was always stifling hot. Christine moved uncomfortably on her chair, as he moved past her to sit in the chair facing hers.

"Christine. I think we can both agree that what happened this morning was not a first."

Christine shrugged slightly, feeling very uneasy.

"I think we can also both agree that you are hardly a good waitress. In fact, you can't do anything right at all."

She was being fired! Oh no, he couldn't be firing her. Much as she despised this job, she needed it. She only worked part time at the Piano room, so that didn't pay nearly enough to cover all her bills, and living expenses. If she lost this job, she didn't know what she would do.

"Please Sir; I know I can do better. Please, just give me another chance." She pleaded, hating the look of smug satisfaction on his face.

"I am afraid it's too late for that. There have been too many complaints about you already. I don't think you are cut out for waitressing, Christine."

"So that's it! You're firing me!"

"I am sorry. Really I am."

_Sure he was! He can't wait to get rid of me!_

"I don't think there is much point in you staying to the end of the day. Your last pay check will be sent to your home."

Christine stood up, and walked out of the room, not bothering to say anything; she was in such a state of shock. She made her way out of the restaurant and out towards the life. Shock had quickly dissipated to be replaced by anger. She wanted to smack the ugly toad in his round pudgy face. She made one tiny mistake, and now she was fired.

She made her way out of the building, all the while in a shocked daze. She was sure she must look like a zombie, but for once she didn't care. After she made it to the bus stop, she suddenly realised she had left all her things behind in the restaurant. Her bag, containing her purse and all her money, and her phone. She found the tears begin to form in her eyes when she remembered that there was the only picture she had of her father inside her purse. Gloria had thrown away most of the others, and that was the only one she had managed to save. The picture depicted her and her father on the camping holiday they had been on when she was seven .There was no way she was going back in there to find it though. She had more pride than that. The loss of her phone meant she would not be able to hear from Erik, or call him herself. She had only given him her mobile number, so there was no way he could contact her. When she got home, she could call Beth, and get her to bring her bag around later. All she wanted to do at the moment was going home, have a shower, and sleep for a hundred years.

What on earth was she going to do? She could call Meg using a pay phone, but she didn't want to hear Meg's "I told you so" tone. She had warned her about Mr Harrison for months, and had been urging her to quit for ages. The one person she did want to call was Erik, and she had no way of doing so. It was then that she realised that there was a way. He owned this very building. He had said that he rarely actually went to work there, but there was a small chance he had gone in today, and if he hadn't surely someone could give her a number she could call to contact him.

Suddenly feeling much better, she stood up from the bus stop seat, and began walking back towards the building. Attempting to flatten her hair, and make herself more presentable, she made her way up the stone steps she had just come down.

She approached the blonde woman at the main desk, who looked very busy with filing her long manicured nails, and didn't look up until she coughed loudly.

"Erm, excuse me."

"Yes." The woman sighed, clearly annoyed at having been interrupted. "Can I help you?" She peered down at her over the magazine she had propped up against her computer. To Christine she looked almost like an overgrown grasshopper, with a long, thin nose, sharp, angry features, and small beady eyes. All in all she didn't look pleasant.

"Hi, I was wondering if you have a number for Erik Caveliere." Christine asked. "The man who owns this company" She prompted, when the woman simply looked at her blankly.

"I'm sorry but I can't give you that. Why do you want it?" She gave her a scathing look, down her nose.

"I need to contact him urgently."

"What about?" She continued to look at her as if she was a large bug which needed squishing instantly. "Who are you?"

"It's private." Christine snapped back at this rude woman.

"Like I said, I can not give you that information. Who are you?"

Her beady eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.

"I am his girlfriend, as a matter of fact, and I need to see him now!" Christine tried not to raise her voice, but it was hard, seeing as how annoyed she was becoming.

_Did I just say I was his girlfriend? Easy Christine. You've only been on two dates!_

"If you're his girlfriend, then how come you don't already have his number?" she asked smugly, raising her thinly plucked eyebrows at her, disdainfully.

"I lost my bag, and my phone." Christine hissed.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I can't help you, even if I wanted to." She said in a way that clearly said that she did not want to. "I don't have his number. Now could you move along please?" She moved her gaze past Christine to a man who was standing behind her, waiting to speak to her. Her gaze transformed from annoyed to simpering, as she fluttered her long eyelashes at the man. Christine found herself being shoved out of the way by him, as he made his way to the front.

_Stupid cow! Who does she think she is?_

Christine seethed in anger, as she stomped away. She could just risk it and go back up stairs to retrieve her bag. She may not even see Mr Harrison again, seeing as the place would be crowded with people, but she could not face having to go back up there, and perhaps seeing that creep. She shuddered at the thought, and made her way outside.

Seeing as she had no money, she was forced to walk home. How could things have gone from close to heaven to the lowest pits of hell? She had been fired, and now she had lost her phone, and any contact she had with Erik. She wasn't working at the Piano room until Thursday night, and that was five whole days away. Not only was that now her only source of income, but her only way of contacting Erik. If she waited until then, then he may have moved on, and forgotten all about her. In Christine's mind however, there was no maybe about it. Someone like him could have anyone, and he would undoubtedly move on from her very quickly.

Three whole hours later, she finally made it home. She was limping due to a large blister which was forming on her heel, tears were streaking down her face, and she felt an absolute wreck. She had to talk to someone but the only person she wanted to talk to was Erik, and she still had no way of contacting him. Something told her that he would make her feel better. His beautiful relaxing voice and strong warm arms were just want she needed. She realised didn't have Beth's number, so she couldn't even ring her and ask her to pick up her bag. Perhaps she would see it, and bring it back for her. Beth was rather ditzy, so she doubted it.

She tried ringing Kamir at the bar, but as she suspected, she received no answer. It was the middle of the day, and so it wasn't open. Cursing, she slammed the phone down. Maybe she could find a number for Erik somewhere in the phone book. She would call the company and ask to be directed to him. She flung open the drawer in the living room, which housed her yellow pages, and began riffling through; trying to find the number, but there was nothing there. Slamming it down on the counter, she rushed over to the computer, and turned it on. There must be something on the internet about his company. Perhaps someone on the phone would be more helpful than the giant grasshopper in the reception. There must be some way of contacting the company, and surely they would have a number to contact him.

After flicking through various web pages, all she could find was an enquiry number for problems with computers. That was going to get her nowhere. Was she acting like a stalker? She hoped not. She just really needed to talk to him. Erik had somehow managed to get under her skin over the past few days, and she wasn't sure why. All she knew was that not being able to contact him was driving her crazy. She took a deep breath, and tried to calm down.

_Easy, Christine. It's alright. All you need to do is wait until later tonight. You can call Kamir at the bar, and he will give you a number to call Erik. _

She told herself this, but it didn't seem to help matters. What if Erik had tried to call her, and upon receiving no answer he had thought she wasn't interested? A man like that could have any woman he wanted, and she was sure he would move on from her very fast.

The time dragged by, and Christine could concentrate on nothing but waiting until it got to half past 6 which was when the Piano Room opened. Finally she could wait no longer, and picked up the phone at twenty past. Kamir would usually go in a bit early in order to prepare the bar. Soon she would have a number to call Erik, she would hear his beautiful voice, and everything would be wonderful once more.

**Please review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: POTO and Shallow Hal still aint mine. **

_Just a quick note to say that i made a few additions to chapter 9. Nothing big, but cute. See if you can spot what it is, and get cookies!  
_

The phone rang and rang continuously, and Erik was starting to get worried. He had waited until later that evening to call her, and had only just plucked up the courage to actually do so, and now she wasn't answering. He dropped the phone down, sighing, and proceeded to tap his fingers on the desk in agitation. He had been so sure she had wanted to see him again. Evidently she had changed her mind. He was an idiot for ever thinking that he stood a chance. He should have never spoken to...

Ring ring! The phone began to ring, interrupting his thoughts, and he almost leapt out of his skin at the sound. Could that be Christine?

"Hello. Christine?" He asked hesitantly into the phone.

The low laughter at the other end of the phone proved it was not Christine, and Erik scowled.

"Afraid not, Erik." Kamir laughed down the phone.

"Get off the phone Kamir. I'm waiting for a call."

"Don't you even want to know what I what?"

"Not particularly." Erik sighed. The disappointment that it was not Christine was evident in his voice.

"I received a very interesting call a few minutes ago."

"Did you now." Erik said in a monotone voice. Kamir could always be trusted upon to make an appearance at the worst possible times. Christine could be trying to call! In his irritation he was barely listening to what Kamir was saying.

"...that Christine can be very persuasive when she wants something."

Erik sputtered down the phone, trying to find his voice. "What? Christine rang you? Why?"

"Well as far as I could gather, she had lost her phone, and needed to call you." He paused, as if trying to remember something. "Oh and something about getting fired."

"She got fired! Why?"

"I don't know why. She wouldn't tell me, but she seemed pretty upset."

The news that Christine had been trying to contact him made him feel considerably better. However he was worried about her. Why had she been fired? Kamir had said she had sounded upset. Whoever her boss was, he wanted to kill him.

"Erik, I don't know what you have going on with Christine, but I just wanted to say...well...I hope it all works out for you. She's a great girl, and you deserve some happiness after....well after everything you've been through." Kamir sounded awkward as he spoke.

"Well." Erik coughed. "Thank you. Now if you don't mind buggering off, I am expecting an important phone call from a very beautiful woman."

Erik put the phone down on Kamir's low amused laughter, and went back to waiting, feeling even more impatient than he had before.

................

After getting off the phone with Kamir, Christine had called Erik immediately, and almost screamed when she heard the dial tone, signalling that he was on the phone. She slammed the phone down in anger. Would she ever manage to reach him?

A few minutes she rang again, fully expecting to receive no answer. She was very surprised when he answered on the second ring.

"Hello."

"Erik." She swallowed. It felt so wonderful to hear his deep voice, but she was unsure what to say, now that she had finally got hold of him. "It's Christine."

"Christine, is everything alright? Kamir said you lost your bag?"

"Yes I did and my phone. I wasn't able to contact you, and ...." She could hardly say that she went into a panic thinking he would forget all about her if she didn't talk to him that very night. Now that she thought about it, she had overreacted greatly, and she felt awfully silly. "I really need to talk to you." She finally said. After all it was true. The day's events were still at the forefront of her mind, and she knew Erik would be able to help her feel better. "Would you like to come over to mine tonight? I'll cook."

Erik smiled down the phone. "I would love to. What time shall I come over?"

"How about seven?" She glanced at her watch, seeing that it was already six o'clock.

"That' sounds fine. I'll see you later."

"Bye." She put the phone down, and smiled. She was going to see Erik in an hour. The one problem facing her was what she was going to cook for him.

At exactly seven o'clock, the buzzer rang, and Christine ran out of the kitchen, and pressed the button

"Hi, Erik. Come on up."

She rushed back into the kitchen, where the water was boiling over. She had decided to make a simple penne pasta. Her cooking skills were not that great, and she decided playing it simple was the safest way to go. There wasn't that much that could go wrong, surely?

She was just about to turn the temperature down on the hob, when she heard Erik knocking at the door.

She rushed over, and opened it, smiling when she saw him on the other side, looking handsome as ever in his long black coat, and the wide brimmed hat he had worn the other night. Before she knew what she was doing, she flung herself into his arms, and hugged him tight against her.

"Oh Erik, I don't know what to do!" She wailed as she buried her face in his shoulder. Before he had arrived she felt calm, and had recovered from her ordeal of a day, but seeing Erik made her want to be in his arms, and she just acted on impulse.

"Christine! What on earth has happened?" Erik extracted her from his arms, and led her into the flat, sitting her down on the sofa. Once they were sat down, she moved back into his arms. It felt so good to be close to him. "I heard you got fired"

Christine sniffed loudly, and looked at him, surprised. "Wh...who told you that?"

"Kamir did. He rang me just before you did." He handed her a handkerchief, which she took gratefully, and blew her nose. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Well, I had an accident with some plates, and then Mr Harrison... that's my boss. He said I was a terrible waitress, and he had to let me go." She sniffled, miserably. "I just don't know what I am going to do now. I really needed that job."

"It'll be alright." He rubbed her back, gently in an attempt at comfort. She could tell he wasn't used to doing such a thing, but it didn't matter. His mere prescience made her feel a great deal better. "You don't need to worry about a thing, when you have me."

"That means a lot to me Erik, but I can't ask that of you. We hardly know each other."

"Christine, my dear, you seem to be forgetting that I own that entire building you work in. If you really liked that job, then you can have it back." He smiled down at her. "However, I distinctly recall you saying that you hated it." He whispered soothingly in her ear, as she seemed reluctant to let him go.

"Well I did, but I don't exactly have much choice."

"Nonsense. You can do whatever you want." He declared in a way that broached no argument.

Christine smiled, and snuggled closer to him. She was now practically lying down in his arms, and she couldn't help but notice how wonderful he smelt. She also couldn't help but worry about what he was saying. Whilst she liked Erik very much, and was even falling in love with him, she felt uneasy about accepting his help. She didn't want him thinking that she was a gold digger. She had always been an independent person, and didn't lean on people very much, let alone men.

"If you liked that job, you can have it back, but from what I have heard, that is not what you want. How would you feel about a full time job at the piano room?"

Christine sat up, and stared at him. To work there full time would be fantastic. "Do you really think that is possible?"

"If that is what you want, then of course."

"You don't think Kamir will mind?"

"He does what I tell him to do, and besides, you are very popular there. From what I hear, bar sales treble when you are playing. To have you playing full time would be excellent for our business."

Christine turned to face him, and smiled watery up at him. "Thank you Erik. I knew you would make me feel better."

"Well, that's what I'm here for, isn't it?"

Erik sat still, just staring into her eyes. To have Christine so close to him was driving him crazy, and now that she was practically on top of him, he was half in heaven, half in hell. It was heaven to have her so near to him, where he could smell her coconut flavoured hair, and feel her shapely body pressed to his, but it was also hell to feel her body, when he was aching from the strain of keeping his own body from letting her know just how much her presence affected him.

They sat in silence for the next few seconds, just staring at each other. Anyone who saw them would have known exactly what each of them was thinking, and that was clearly something along the lines of "kiss me now!", and "My God I want to kiss you!"

Erik and Christine both found themselves leaning in even closer to each other. Erik couldn't believe it. This was truly happening. He was about to kiss Christine. He closed his eyes, and leaned in even closer. Any second later, and he would actually be kissing her. The moment was interrupted by what sounded like a high-pitched screaming, causing both Erik, and Christie to leap into the air terrified. Christine leapt up, shouting. "Shit! The food!" She dashed across the room and into the kitchen. Smoke came billowing out of the door as she opened it, and with it the smell of burning.

The screaming was in fact the fire alarm, and Erik was surprised it had not gone off sooner, due to the amount of smoke emanating from the kitchen. He ran in after Christine, and helped to turn off the hob, which had a pot sauce on it, although it didn't look so much like sauce as black sludge.

Christine had pulled out the pasta dish from the oven, which was completely unrecognisable due to its charcoaled state. She slammed it on the side, and pulled off her cardigan, which she preceded to flap in front on the fire alarm, whilst Erik opened the window. After about ten minutes, the alarm finally stopped, and they both sighed in relief.

Christine stared at the ruined pasta dish, miserably. "Oh, Erik, I'm so sorry. I wanted to cook for you, and now I have gone and ruined it."

Erik wanted to say something along the lines of it would be alright, but it really was completely ruined. "It's alright Christine. Don't worry about it." He couldn't help smiling. In fact he had to fight the urge not to laugh out loud. When was the last time he had felt that? He couldn't remember, but it felt wonderful.

"But it's ruined." She wailed. "I wanted to do something nice for you after you went to so much effort last night, and I've messed it up!" She scraped the charcoaled mess into the bin, and dumped the dish in the sink, creating far more noise than she had meant to.

Christine stomped back out of the kitchen to the living room, where she had set up the table, with flowers, and the shiniest cutlery she owned.

Erik was humbled that she had gone to so much effort just for him. No one had ever done anything like that for him. "Christine, it's fine. It really doesn't matter."

Finally she smiled, and in a few moments she was laughing out loud, and he soon followed suit. "I am such a disaster!"

"Come on, it's not that bad. We will order a take away."

"Okay." Christine sniffed, and went to retrieve the stack of menus in one of the kitchen draws. After a few minutes they decided to order Chinese, it being both their favourite take away.

After Christine had rung up, they moved back into the kitchen, and Erik helped her to clear away the debris from the pasta disaster.

"Christine, what is that?" Erik suddenly reached toward her and grabbed her arm. "Who did this you you?" She looked down, and noticed the huge bruise which had come up on her arm.

"Well would you look at that." She lifted her arm, and peered at it. "That's a big one." She grimaced at the large purple mark on her upper left arm.

"What happened, Christine?"

She looked up from her arm at Erik, whose eyes were flashing with what looked like fury. What was he so mad about? She had only hurt her arm. "It must have been when I fell over. I bashed it pretty hard."

Erik tried to calm himself down. When he had first seen the bruise on her arm, he had assumed that someone had hurt her, and he had been overcome with a rage unlike anything he had ever known. Having realised it was from when she fell over, he managed to regain some sense, but was still incensed that she was hurt, and made him want to kill the bastard she had worked for even more than before.

"You should get something cold on that to stop the swelling." Erik took her arm once more, and ran his long elegant fingers along the bruise, causing her to shiver.

"It's fine, honestly. It doesn't even hurt." This was somewhat true, seeing as she didn't even know she had the thing until Erik had seen it, although now she had seen it, it was starting to ache more than was comfortable.

"Are you sure?" Erik looked at her, his eyes questioning.

"Well it does ache a little bit." She admitted, not being able to help loving the caring side of Erik. Perhaps she should milk it for all it was worth. She stretched out her arm, and grimaced for effect. "I think I have some frozen peas in the freezer."

Erik wasted no time in disappearing off towards the kitchen, leaving a smiling Christine behind him.

Five minutes later, they were happily sat on the sofa in the living room, Erik holding the bag of frozen peas gently to Christine's arm.

"Erik, I can do that." She giggled, taking the bag out of his hand, and replacing it back on her arm, wincing slightly at the pain.

"But I like taking care of you." Erik protested.

"I know, and you have no idea how much I love you doing that, but I can hold a bag of peas."

Erik gave in, and let her hold the peas, but he suddenly felt rather useless. What he wanted most of all was to go and beat the living daylights out of the man who would hurt his Christine, for that was what he thought of her as. She was his now, just as he had been hers from the moment they met.

They sat together on the sofa, watching television, to wait for their food, although neither of them seemed to actually be watching it, they were too aware of the person next to them. It was amazing how they could cuddle up on the sofa together like this, as if they had known each other for years. It was wonderfully comforting, and Christine felt that she could almost fall asleep in his arms.

Christine had managed to move herself ever so slowly closer to him, so eventually she was curled up next to him. She felt wonderfully at ease with him, and happier than she had felt in a very long time. She didn't feel as if she had to put on an act or be someone she wasn't to impress him. He liked her for who she was. There was one tiny problem which kept bugging her, however. She still had very little idea about how Erik felt about her. She knew he must like her, considering on how much effort he went to for their date, and how he cared for her. The way he looked at her sometimes, his green eyes seemed to glow with some unknown emotion that made her feel weak at the knees. At other times, however, it was as if a mask had come down over his features, and he could be so hard to read. She had never met anyone like Erik before, and she knew she was starting to develop feelings for him, far stranger than she had ever felt for any man, and she wanted to know if he felt anywhere near the same for her.

Her eyes were drifting shut, when she heard the buzz of the door, which meant the Chinese had arrived. She leapt up, and ran to the door, and pressed the button. A few minutes later they were sat at Christine's small dining table, happily eating their food.

"I really shouldn't be eating this." Christine moaned, before eating another folk full of sweet and sour chicken. "I will most definitely need to go to the gym tomorrow."

"Are you crazy? You are stunning! If anything you need to put on a few pounds." Erik blushed as soon as he had spoken. It was the first time he had said anything to her relating to how gorgeous he found her. What would she think of him now?

Normally, such a comment would have annoyed Christine. As a lot of women were, she was very sensitive about her weight, and was constantly on some sort of diet. Coming from Erik however, she found herself actually believing him. "Well, thank you." She smiled nervously at him, before digging into the egg fried rice.

Christine was trying to bring up the subject of their relationship, without appearing clingy. From her experience, men hated having the "us" conversation, and avoided it at all costs. It would normally be a particularly bad idea to begin such a discussion so early on in their relationship. Erik, however, was so mysterious, and she really wanted to know if he liked her. He hadn't even kissed her yet, and she had kissed him once already, and that wasn't even a real kiss.

"So... do you think this would count as our third date?" She asked, nonchalantly, as if the subject held little interest to her.

"Does this count as a date?" Erik asked, his eye brows raised, in that endearing way she loved. "I would say we have only had one."

"No. There was the coffee, then last night, and this." Christine told him, counting off the dates on her fingers. "Last night was by far the most wonderful night of my life, but this still counts as a date." She grinned. The third date was often thought of at a milestone to the next stage in relationships. Surely he would kiss her, at the very least!

"I suppose so." He muttered, and looked down at his plate. Erik had the feeling Christine was hinting at something that should be obvious, but being so useless at relationships, he had no idea what it was.

"Well, if you don't think that this classes as a date, how about I take you out tomorrow?"

Erik looked up, and smiled. "That would be wonderful. Should I pick you up at the same time?"

Christine grinned, mischievously. "No Erik. I am taking you out. That means I will pick _you _up, and I am paying."

Erik stared at her, totally shocked. He had thought that she could not shock him anymore, but he had been proved very wrong. If she wanted to go out with him, and pay, then that must mean that not only did she not mind being seen with him, but that she really did like him, and wasn't simply after his money. This woman really was different for anyone else he had ever met.

"I would love to Christine, but you don't have a car." His brow creased in confusion.

Christine laughed. "I don't need a car, sweetie."

Had she just called him sweetie! Erik shook his head, trying to clear that out. "Much as I love the idea, Christine, I don't like the idea of you walking around London in the dead of night." He shuddered at the thought of what could happen to a defenceless woman out on the streets these days.

Christine merely waved her hand, brushing away the issue. "Not a problem. We aren't going out at night."

"When are we going then?"

"Ah. That my dear Erik is a surprise."She winked at him, before finishing off the last of the food on her plate. _Ha! _She thought. _Two can play at this game! _

Erik could not stop smiling. It was an odd experience, and was something he had never experienced in his life, but he loved it.

"So I take it you won't tell me where we are going either?"

"Most certainly not." She beamed at him. This was so much fun!

"Well this certainly sounds interesting. And you won't give me any hints?"

"None at all." She stood up, and picked up their plates to take into the kitchen.

"Let me do that." Erik stood, and took the plates out of her hands. "You sit down and relax. I will wash up."

"You don't have to do that Erik. Just dump it in the dish washer." Christine called after him, and began to pick up the empty takeaway boxes, but Erik came back and shooed her away towards the sofa, laughing softly. She obeyed him, and sat down.

A few minutes later, Erik joined her, and they resumed their position from earlier. Instead of turning the television on, Christine simply curled up closer to him, and smiled up at him. "This feels nice doesn't it?"

"It does." Erik replied, holding her a little closer. "I don't think I have ever felt this comfortable with another person."

"Me neither. I really like you a lot you know." There! She had said it. Of course it was a big lie. She didn't like him. She loved him. Loved him more than anything or anyone she had ever met.

"You do?" He sounded so doubting, and Christine could feel her heart ache.

"Of course I do, silly. I don't spend this much time with people I don't like."

"I really like you too, Christine." Erik said, almost as if he found it very hard to say.

There was a comfortable silence for the next few minutes, which was eventually broken by Christine.

"We do have rather a large problem, though." She sat up, and stared at him, intently.

Erik felt himself stiffen in terror. He could only dread what she was about to say. He was determined to face whatever problem she felt they had, and work on it for no matter how long it took. He could not lose her when he had only just decided to win her.

"I think you might owe me a dept."

Erik was confused now. What was she talking about?

"Well." She said, moving closer to him. "You see, I have kissed you once already, and I think it might be your turn to return the favour."

All Erik could do was staring at her, his mouth wide open in shock. What in heaven's name was he going to do.

Kisses! She was talking about kisses! The one kiss she had bestowed upon him had been just as shocking as it had been heavenly, and the idea of kissing her again made him feel light headed. However, it seemed that this time she wanted him to take the initiative. That though filled him with terror once more. He had never kissed a woman before. What if he did it wrong? He might end up missing her mouth, or worse, they might clash teeth. A terrible thought. He had once heard that a woman could tell all there was to know about a man from his kiss. Well, if Christine believed this statement, then she would no doubt think he was an inexperienced floundering idiot. He could not do this. What if she laughed at him?

"Erik?" Christine was staroing at him now, looking concerned. "Are you alright? Do you not want to kiss me?"

Was she insane? To kiss her would be to know what heaven was like. "Y...you want me to kiss you?"

"Is the Pope a catholic?" She grinned at his confused look. "Of course I do!"

Christine knew she looked a great deal calmer than she was actually feeling. She was tired of playing games, and she wanted to kiss him properly. Perhaps it was just her, but he looked like the very idea of kissing her filled him with terror. She knew he was shy, but he must know how much she liked him.

Christine had managed to move along the sofa, so that she was pressed up right against him, and had positioned her head, so it would be so easy for him to kiss her. She smiled at him sweetly, and closed her eyes, her lips separating slightly, in preparation.

That was an invitation if ever he saw one. He leaned forward, took a deep breath, and prepared himself for kissing the woman he knew he was in love with.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud, angry banging on the door, which caused them both to jump, and any magic created from their almost kiss was destroyed by the intrusion.

**Cute eh!? Please review. I am still bogged down with revison for finals, and they will make the pain seem less. **


	13. Chapter 13

_Yey! I am finally free! Exams were evil, but they are over_! _As you can see, I have also changed my name! I thought it was time for a change.  
_

_I know this chapter is rather short, and I am not very happy about it, but I hope you still enjoy it. _

_Damn! _Erik wanted to shout out loud, but managed to refrain from doing so. Who the hell was that, banging on Christine's door? Whoever they were, they had better not mind slow, painful deaths, as that was what he felt like giving them.

"Christine!" A man's voice shouted from outside the door. "I know you are in there. I suggest you come out now. You have three months' rent to pay me!"

"Oh no! That's my land lord." She said in an agonised whisper. "Schhh!" She motioned for him to stay quiet, as she hunched up on the sofa. "If we stay quiet, he'll leave eventually."

_Pete, you bastard!_ She thought to herself. _Couldn't you have waited until later!_

She had been doing her best to avoid Pete over the last few weeks. Money was very tight, and she had been unable to pay the rent on her apartment. Having got the job at the Piano Room gave her hope of being able to pay it off sooner, but it would be a week before she received her first pay check, and so she was still broke. The loss of her other job made matters even worse than they had been however, and now she didn't know what she was going to do. Why did Pete have to come around now? He could not have chosen a worse time. She had finally been about to kiss Erik, and he had to ruin it. She was not normally a violent person, but she had an overwhelming urge right now to smack something, or rather someone!

"Erik, what are you doing?" She stared wide eyed, as Erik stood up, and strode over towards the door. She leapt up, and grabbed onto his arm. "Erik, please don't. You don't know what he's like. Just leave it!" She practically begged, her eyes wide in fear.

"He doesn't know what I am like, Christine." He said, sternly. "Do not worry, Christine. I will sort everything out." He strode towards the door, ignoring Christine's protests.

It had been a very long time since Erik had been this angry. He suspected Christine's landlord was about to have a very bad turn to his day. Not only had this bastard ruined his kiss with Christine, but he had evidently been harassing her for a long time about rent. From Christine's tone, he could tell she was afraid of him, and Erik wanted to kill anyone who caused his angel any unhappiness. If she thought he was the kind of man to let something like this go, then she did not know him that well yet.

Pete banged on the door once more. That little bitch owed him somewhere in the sum of £500 and he planned on getting his money right now. He could hear her moving in there, and he told her so, shouting through the door. There was no escaping from him this time, and she knew it.

He was just about to bang once more, when the door was flung open, and he stood face to face with what surely must be a monster. If he wasn't a hardened man of the world he would probably have screamed, so hideous was the man now glaring at him, with abject fury. The right side of his face was reddened and disfigured, resembling what looked like many tattered pieces of flesh, and he had practically no nose to speak of. His face looked like it had been destroyed in some horrific accident, or he could have been born that way. Either way, he had never seen anyone so ugly in his life, and his first reaction had been to escape as quickly as possible.

Erik glared at the small, pudgy man on the other side of the door. Later he wouldn't recall exactly what he had done, but he knew that he had grabbed the man by his shirt front, and forced him against the far wall, until he was suspended in the air, gasping for breath, and Erik was glaring at his terrified face with pure fury.

"If you speak like that to Miss Denton again, I will make you sorrier that you have ever been in your pathetic life." Erik hissed quietly, yet his voice held an underlying tone of pure rage, which would make the hardest man shrink back in fear. Erik had learned early on in life that he didn't need to shout in order to instil fear in anyone he met.

"W...who the hell are you?" The Pete stammered, and he fell back against the wall, as the monster let go of his shirt. This did not make him feel much better, as he now was stood over him, over seven inches taller. Pete shrank further back, fear griping his insides like vice.

Erik laughed, harshly. "Who I am is of no concern to you."

"That bitch owes me money!" He tried to stand up for himself, but it had been a huge mistake.

Erik grabbed him again, but this time by the throat. "What did I tell you about how you spoke of Miss Denton?" He spoke in that calm voice, laced with powerful fury. After a few moments during which the pathetic weasel gasped for air, he finally let go, and he collapsed in a heap at his feet.

"Christine will be giving you nothing. She will have moved out of this hell hole by the end of the month."

Pete struggled to stand, as he continued to gasp for air. "Even if that is the case, she still owes me £500!" She spat.

Erik narrowed his eyes at the scum before him. "No she doesn't. If you go anywhere near her ever again, your face will end up looking a hell of a lot worse than mine." He glared at him. "Do I make myself clear?"

"F...fine." Pete stuttered, attempting to move away from this creature, who had practically killed him. Even he wasn't so stupid as to try to argue with this madman. "J...just make sure she l...leaves by the end of the month."

Erik raised his eyebrows in mild amusement. "Oh, she will be leaving, but she will take as long as she needs to do so."

Erik finally stepped away from him, and headed back towards Christine's flat, leaving the terrified Pete, who was now running down the corridor.

Erik was just about to go back inside Christine's flat, when he realised what he had said, and he began to panic. Had he really just said that Christine would be moving out of her flat? What on earth had he been thinking?! That sad excuse for a man had made him so angry, and the last thing he wanted was Christine staying in this place any longer. The place was small, and cramped, and the area it was in was dodgy to say the least. The idea of Christine walking around there at night made him feel ill.

His initial reaction had been to pay the Landlord off, but he didn't think he deserved paying due to his treatment of Christine, and so he had said the first thing that came into his head afterwards, without taking any time to think it through. In the back of his head had been the thought that she would be living with him soon as it was. Idiot that he was, he had been so incensed with rage, that he hadn't thought that perhaps she wouldn't want to live with him. Living in a place like this had to be better than living with a monster, no matter how many angry landlords she had to deal with, or how much he knew she would love his house. The truth of the matter was that he wanted her to live with him more than anything. Well, perhaps there was one thing he wanted more, and that was for Christine to be his wife.

_Whoa, one thing at a time Erik! First things first, how the hell are you going to tell her that you made her homeless?_ He was going to lose her as soon as he had won her!

Reluctantly, he opened the door, and joined Christine back in the flat.

Erik!" Christine ran up to him, concern etched on her beautiful face. "Erik, what happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Christine." He tried to smile at her, reassuringly. "He won't be bothering you anymore, my dear."

Christine looked confused. "What do you mean? I own three months rent! He isn't just going to forget about that."

"Let's just say he will, if he knows what's good for him." He muttered, still feeling livid about his encounter with the landlord.

"Erik, you didn't threaten him?" Christine asked, her eyes widening in horror, and if he wasn't mistaken a small amount of amusement.

"I never threaten." He said, innocently.

"Erik!" Christine swatted his arm, playfully. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Whatever you want, my dear." He answered with what he hoped was a cheeky smile.

Erik was surprised that she wasn't mad at him. This of course didn't mean she wouldn't be so when she found out he had made her homeless. His ultimate plan was that she would move in with him and the sooner the better, but how was he going to go about telling her this? He was in deep, deep trouble. What if she hated him for it, and said that she would never want to live with him? He would most certainly lose her then and all because he was an idiot, who couldn't control his anger.

She smiled back at him, unable to do anything else. "So he is just going to let me live here for free?" She stood facing him, a disbelieving look on her face, and her hands on her hips. "That seems very unlikely."

"And yet, it's true." Erik found himself replying. He just couldn't tell her right now. He found that he loved the way she looked at him, and he didn't want her to hate him quite yet.

_You will have to tell her eventually! _Said the annoying voice at the back of his head.

_I will tell her. Just give me a few days, and I will tell here everything._

Christine narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Erik. Something didn't feel right, and she had a strange feeling that he wasn't telling her something.

"Erik, what did you do to him?" She asked, suddenly feeling very worried.

"Don't worry, Christine. I didn't kill him." _Not that I wasn't sorely tempted. _Erik added in his head. "Merely....scared him a bit."

She was asking far too many questions for his liking. He would have rather she be angry with him. What she did next however surprised him so much; he forgot everything that had just happened.

"Oh, Erik! Thank you." She flung herself into his arms, and kissed him full on the lips. At first, Erik was far too shocked to respond, but as the feel of her shapely form and soft, warm lips against his began to permeate his mind, he forgot everything, and started to kiss her back. Before that moment, the idea of kissing her like this had terrified him, almost as much as he had yearned for it. Now that it was happening, he could barely think of anything at all, let alone fear of appearing an inexperienced idiot. The only thing registering in his mind was the beautiful angel in his arms. Never, even in his most fevered imaginations had kissing Christine felt this good. As he relaxed, he was able to deepen the kiss, and he could swear he was in heaven, and after so many of years of feeling like he was in hell, it was the sweetest nectar he could possible imagine.

Her arms were wrapped around his neck now, and the rest of her body pressed against his. He could feel his own body start to betray him at her closeness, and he could only hope she couldn't tell. Even if she could, she didn't appear to mind, as she made no move to break the kiss. In fact, she seemed to deepen it even further, her arms coming up further, and her hands running through his hair. He almost moaned out loud, when he felt her tongue enter his mouth and he reciprocated, by entangling his own tongue with hers, causing Christine to moan herself. At her reaction, he moved his hands from where they were resting at her sides, up to her neck, and to tangle in her glorious hair. He had never felt so much passion in anyone, and what's more, the passion was for him. As incredible as that was it was true. There was no denying it anymore. Christine did appear to want him as much as he wanted her. His hands moved to cup her face, as he finally broke the kiss. Her eyes were still closed, her lips were swollen and she was breathing heavily, from lack of breath, or passion, he was not sure. As her eyes opened, she smiled at him, languorously.

"I have been wanting to do that since the moment I met you." Her voice came out breathy, and so seductive, he could barely function to think of a reply.

"Y...you have?" He stammered, when he finally registered what she had said. That seemed impossible to him, but she seemed so sincere, he couldn't help but believe her.

"Yes." She smiled, and pulled him back towards her, her arms sliding around his waist.

"Me too." He whispered, and he leaned down to kiss her once more. The kiss was less passionate than the first, but held no less emotion. It was slow, and sweet, and Christine could feel her toes curl in delight. He was such a good kisser, and he could bring her to her knees with one light brush of his lips to hers. She could kiss him forever, and never tire of it. He leaned back to stare into her eyes, intensely. He really did have the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They even seemed to chance colour with his mood. Right now they were dark, and smoulderingly sexy.

_I love you. _They both wanted to say it at that moment, but neither of them dared.

"I should leave." Erik muttered, reluctantly, breaking the spell. "It's getting late."

Glancing towards the clock on the wall, Christine realised it was gone two in the morning. She had no idea it had gotten so late.

She wanted to ask him to stay, but she knew it was way too soon for that, not that she didn't yearn for it with all her being. Deep down, she knew they should wait before progressing to that stage in their relationship, and it would be all the better for the wait. Right at that moment however, she was close to forgetting all that she believed in, and asking him to stay.

"Okay." As she made her way towards the door with Erik, she stopped, and turned to face him, her face furrowed in slight confusion.

"I just want to be clear about something. Are we a couple now?" it was a risk in asking, but she was naturally a very forward person, and if she didn't ask, it would only annoy her later that she hadn't had the courage to confirm it.

Erik had felt himself tense when she first spoke, but his face broke into a grin, when she said the second part. She wanted them to be a couple! Could life get any better?

"Yes, we are. If that is what you want."

Christine smiled brightly, her eyes dancing. "It is." She affirmed. "I guess I will see you tomorrow. I will be around yours at eleven."

"Will I need to bring anything?" He was overcome with curiosity, and nerves about tomorrow. What could she possibly have planned? He would normally have never let himself get in this sort of situation, where he may end up looking like a fool, or be stared at in horror, but Christine seemed to have the power to make him agree to anything she wished.

"Nope. Just your gorgeous self." She kissed him briefly at the door, and winked, before closing the door.

.........

Erik's mind was a whirl as he drove home. Joy filled him at what had just happened. He and Christine were now an official couple. Of course this did not change the fact that she would most likely be horrified about what he had said to her landlord. He shuddered to think about how angry she would be. He would have finally found the woman who he loved with all his heart, only to lose her instantly due to his insane stupidity. That would have to be put aside for the time being, however. The more pressing matter at hand was how he was going to get Christine's bag back for her, and what he was going to do with her boss at the same time. As much as beating the living daylights out of the man appealed to him, he decided it was not the best method, and would only cause more trouble than he was already in with Christine. She would most likely not approve, he thought with a small smile. There was no way the man was going to get away with the way he had treated Christine however, and was in for a nasty shock the following morning, if he had his way.

...........

As soon as the door was closed, Christine let out a moan of frustration. This was mainly for two reasons. The first was to do with the unquenched feelings of lust still running through her after that kiss. She had been so tempted to ask him to stay the night that she had to physically restrain herself from jumping him, and dragging him to her bedroom. The second reason was that she had absolutely no idea what to plan for tomorrow. She had been struck with the idea of surprising Erik with something really fun and romantic, just as he had done with her, but in truth she hadn't thought it through too well. As hard as she tried she could think of nothing that fitted the category of fun, and romantic, and that wouldn't involve spending any money, or as little as possible. Now she only had one job, she would have to count the pennies as much as she could. Hopefully this wouldn't last long however, as Erik said he would speak to Kamir about getting her a full time job at the Piano Room. At the moment, however her date options were significantly lowered.

She went to bed, deciding that to stay up any longer, simply to agonize over what she was going to do would be a silly idea. It took her a while to fall asleep. Not totally shocking, due to the whirlwind going through her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about Erik, and possible dates for tomorrow. Eventually, after tossing for what felt like hours, and not having come up with any ideas, she suddenly sat up in bed, a huge grin of triumph on her face.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. "It's perfect!"

She had the best idea for a date. It was fun, romantic, and was cheap. Overall, it was perfect!

............

The following morning, Erik rose early, having had a very restless night. Generally speaking, he was a light sleeper, but last night had been a particularly bad one. He had been plagued with thoughts over what had happened when he was with Christine. He had absolutely no idea how he was going to tell her about what he said to her landlord. He knew _what _he wanted to say, and that would of course be that she would be living with him, for what he hoped was forever. The thing he did not know was how he was going to go about doing that. Evidently his plan of making her fall in love him would been to be speeded up dramatically. Things appeared to be going his way however, what with Christine calling them a couple.

The other issue he was facing was what he was going to do with Christine's boss, at the restaurant. The man was in for a shock this morning, when he paid him a visit, in order to get Christine's bag back. The previous night he had looked up John Harrison in his employee files, and he had figured he had enough leverage with which to fire the man, without any repercussions. That particular restaurant was not doing particularly well, and after looking through its files, he figured that John Harrison was the main reason. His anger at him had grown even more when he saw his records had indicated a previous history of sexual harassment. When he thought that Christine had been working for that disgusting excuse of a man for two years, he felt sick.

Erik could feel the stares as he strode through the top floor restaurant of his building, but for once, he didn't care. He saw the man he was looking for, sat behind the bar, not doing anything, whilst a very worn out looking blonde woman rushed around trying to serve customers.

Erik glared at him as he marched behind the bar. If this fool thought he could get away with hurting Christine, he definitely had another think coming. He saw the familiar look of fear in his eyes, and he smiled to himself. Looking like a hideous monster did have its benefits sometimes.

Half an hour later, Erik exited the building, feeling very happy with himself. Not only had he managed to get Christine's bag back, but Christine's boss would be finding is exceedingly difficult to get another job any time soon. As for his state of mind, he was rather satisfied with the amount of fear he had managed to infuse in him. He certainly wouldn't be going anywhere near Christine again, or any other woman. Overall, it had been a very productive morning, so far.

There was only one problem left to face now, and that was how he was going to go about telling Christine that she was to move out of her flat by the end of the month, and hopefully move in with him. It was a terrifying thought, but the longer he left it, the harder it would get. Perhaps he could casually slip it into the conversation today on their date. He wasn't quite sure how he would go about doing that. Perhaps something along the lines of;

"_Oh, by the way Christine, in a fit of rage at your landlord last night, I managed to get you evicted. I only did it because I love you, and was hoping you would move in with me though." _

Then again perhaps not. It was hardly the most romantic way of asking one's girlfriend to move in with them. He could only hope that when the time came, he would find the perfect way to tell her, to which she would have no choice but to answer with a yes.

Right now however, he needed to be getting ready for Christine coming around, and that brought with it the whole other issue of what she had planned for them on this date, he thought with a brief stab of panic. His nerves were definitely being challenged in this relationship so far, but funnily enough, it didn't bother him as much as it should have. The fact that he had found Christine in the first place, made up for it a million times over.

**You know what to do by now. The review button is only a click away!**


	14. Chapter 14

_I think this might be my fastest update, and my longest chapter so far. I am very proud_.

_FYI this story will soon be progressing to the M rating. Yes peeps, you know what that means *wink wink*_.

The next day, Christine rose early in order to get everything ready for their date. Looking out of the window, she saw with relief that it was a beautiful, sunny day. This worked greatly in her favour. She would need to go shopping to buy everything they would need, and then she would spend the rest of the morning making herself as beautiful as possible for her boyfriend. Oh how she loved that she could call him that now. Just saying it in her head made her go all giddy with joy. For the first time in her life she was in a relationship that she felt was truly going somewhere, and whats more, she wanted it to go somewhere. Perhaps before, she had wanted the relationships to fail, all be it subconsciously. She had definitely never felt as strong about any of them as she had with Erik.

After hours of agonising over terrible ideas the night before, she had finally come up with what she deemed the perfect idea. They would go for a picnic in Regents Park. Okay, so it wasn't glamorous or cultural like Erik's date has been, but it could be romantic. If they got there early enough, they could go by one of the large oak trees by the lake, away from everyone else there, and get some privacy.

The trip into town went to plan, and she managed to get everything she wanted. She was playing it simple with smoked salmon sandwiches, salads, and a variety of other cold foods. After the disaster of the night before, she decided that cooking was not a good idea.

The main problem she was facing now was trying to find Erik's house. She had never been to Mayfair before, and was quite excited about it. When Erik told her his address she had been shocked yet again at how wealthy he must be. Mayfair was the most expensive part of London, and she was sure she would be out of place just walking around the neighbourhood. Would she even be allowed into the area without showing some sort if ID proving she owned over a million pounds. She didn't believe this truly, but she still felt apprehensive as she dismounted the bus and made her way into Mayfair later in the morning.

Even though she knew somewhat the kind of grandeur she was entering, she was still surprised at the opulence of the place. Every house she passed seemed bigger, and more extravagant than the last, and many having various expensive cars in the drive, and those that didn't most likely kept them in their extensive garages. She was sure that she must look terribly silly, walking around with her mouth wide open. She couldn't believe that Erik actually lived here! Each house looked big enough to house her entire apartment building, and then some. As for the gardens, they were simply spectacular. When she was a child, and her father had still been alive, they had lived in a typical suburban neighbourhood, and they had had a gardening competition every year, with the winner receiving a prize of some sort. Mrs Appleby, the local busybody had won every single time, due to the fact that she spend practically all year perfecting her patch of land, much to the frustration of the rest of the street. It was all in good faith however, and it brought the street together.

The houses she was passing sported the largest, most well groomed gardens she had ever seen, and would have made Mrs Appleby's garden look like a dung heap. She was sure that none of the occupants went into such work as she had though, and most likely hired gardeners to do all the work. To see a competition in this neighbourhood would definitely be an experience, although judging from the distance each house was from the other, they probably never even spoke to each other in the whole time they lived there.

Erik had given her the directions to his place, telling her that he lived at the far end. Typical, she thought, as she made her way past what looked like the last house. She hoped she wasn't late. The last thing she wanted to do was to have to ring him and ask him to pick her up. Thankfully, as she turned the corner, she saw the hill, which Erik had told her led up to his house. Groaning at the look of the large hill, she began to trudge up, suddenly wishing she had taken Erik up on his offer of a lift in the first place. Of course, she had been her usual stubborn self, and wanted to go and pick him up. What had she been thinking? The picnic basket seemed to be getting even heavier as she walked as well, and the handle was digging into her fingers.

After what felt like forever, she finally reached the top, and breathed a sigh of relief, whilst clutching the stitch at her side. Glancing through the trees, she caught her first glimpse of Erik's house, and she almost stumbled on a rock on the ground. Thankfully, she managed to steady herself, and after a quick glance around realised that no one had seen her almost trip. If she had thought the houses below where grand, they were nothing when compared to Erik's house. It stood four stories high, towering above what now looked time tiny shacks below. Unlike the other houses though, it didn't look like a show home, or sand blasted to within an inch of its life, as many of the other's were. It was made of a dark gray stone, and the roof was dotted with the odd turret, making it almost like a castle. It was also considerably older than the rest of the houses, a fact which she liked a lot. The place carried a story, and had character. She had never seen such a beautiful building, and it screamed Erik with every brick and turret. She bet anything that the inside was just as beautiful as well, and she couldn't wait to see inside.

She approached the huge wrought iron gate, and peered through the bars, trying to see the house from a better angle. This was hard, due to the many trees which grew all the way around the property, blocking out her view. She was a little worried as to how she was going to get in. The security looked very well placed, and Erik hadn't told her about any codes to get in. She wasn't left to ponder for long however, as just then the gate separated, and swung open slowly with a loud creak. She glanced around, to see if someone had opened it for her, but there was no one about. Come to think of it, it was a typical Erik act to make. He made everything seem like a magic trick. Hitching the picnic basket onto her hip, she set off up the long driveway towards the house.

Christine approached the large white front door, and not seeing anything else, she banged on the door using the large bronze door knocker. She only hoped it was loud enough.

A few minutes later, the door swung open, and she was greeted not by Erik, but by a tall, robust woman, with dyed red hair, and wearing a white apron over her black uniform.

_Oh My God, _she thought. _Erik has a maid! _

"Hi." She smiled brightly at the woman. "I'm Christine. I'm here to see Erik."

"Come right in." The woman moved aside, letting Christine into the house. "I am Mrs Reynolds. It is a pleasure to meet you." She extended her hand, and Christine shook it.

As Christine walked into the entrance, she had to restrain herself from actually gasping. She had never been anywhere as beautiful as this house, and she was still in the entrance hall! The floor was a light gray marble, and opened out to form a large entrance way, and a huge winding staircase, going up towards the next floor. A huge chandelier hung above her, with what looked like thousands of real crystals dangling off it. Christine was so engrossed at the sight of it that she didn't see Erik, who was stood at the far end of the hall, watching her.

Erik stood in the doorway, staring at Christine, who seemed to be fascinated by his chandelier. Every time he saw her, he swore she got more beautiful. Today, she was wearing a simple yellow sun dress, and had a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of her free flowing hair. She looked like a ray of sunshine who had somehow managed to break through the darkness, and light up his world.

"Christine." He approached her, and she turned around, her lips turning up into one of her stunning smiles, which never failed to make him feel weak at the knees. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you. You have a lovely home, Erik." Christine forgot about the glittering chandelier. Erik was much more beautiful. As usual he was dressed in black, his hair slightly wet, indicating he had recently showered. It was beginning to curl slightly at the ends, where it brushed against his neck. He was simply delicious, and he was all hers!

"Thank you. I will give you a tour at some point."

As he reached her, she pulled him forward for a deep kiss, which left them both reeling. "I needed that."

"So did I." Erik whispered. "What's this?" He indicated towards the basket, which Christine had placed on the flood.

"It's a picnic basket. We're going to the park."

"The park?" Erik felt himself begin to panic. He could not think of anywhere worse. The park was full of people, and on a sunny day like today, the place would be packed. Crowds were the things he hated above all things. All those people staring at him in horrified fascination was not his idea of fun. He knew he should be used to it after 35 years, but the truth was he wasn't.

Christine looked disappointed. "You don't like the park?"

"No! That's not it. I am sure it will be lovely. I just have a few problems with crowds. I am sure you can understand why." He muttered.

"Do you get claustrophobic? I get a bit sometimes. It's nothing to be ashamed of." She squeezed his hand, reassuringly. "I know a great spot by the lake in Regent's Park. It's very out of the way and far away from the main tourist spots. It's very romantic." She added, smiling up at him encouragingly.

Erik could deny her nothing when she smiled up at him like that, so he found himself agreeing. "Well, we had better set off then." He reached down, and picked up the picnic box. "Christ, what have you got in here? A load of bricks?" He laughed, as he hauled the box under his arm.

"Don't be silly, Mr Muscles. It isn't that heavy. I carried that all the way here from home."

Erik looked sheepishly at her. "Did you? I was joking. It's as light as a feather." He made his point by throwing the basket up in the air, and catching it with his other hand.

"Erik!" Christine glared at him. "If you drop that you are in big trouble." Her tone was chastising, but she couldn't stop the laughter from showing in her voice. She was loving this new, playful side of Erik. He was becoming a lot more comfortable around her, and it showed.

Christine followed Erik back out the front door, still smiling.

"What are you doing?" Christine asked.

Erik had begun to open the door of the Lamborghini, which was parked in the drive, but turned around to face her, when she spoke. "Opening the car."

"You certainly are lazy, to say nothing of what your carbon footprint must be like." Christine chastised. "It is a beautiful day, we should walk, don't you think?"

Erik blanched. Whenever he did venture out of his mansion, it was always in one of his cars. The blacked out windows meant no one could see him, and he wouldn't be stared at. People would often stare at the car, but not him. That he didn't mind in the slightest. "Really?" He wrinkled his nose, causing Christine to laugh. "And I suppose you expect me to carry this as well?" He indicated towards the picnic basket he had been about to place inside the car's small boot.

"But of course." Christine grinned. "And I thought you said it wasn't heavy." She said, raising her eyebrows at him. "Come on, we're walking."

Christine strode ahead of him down the drive, with Erik following quickly behind.

........

The short walk to the park was very pleasant, and they had only had one brief disagreement over who should carry the basket. Despite his earlier grumblings, Erik insisted he carry it. She let him, knowing that men needed to exert their masculinity by doing such things.

Thankfully, it being still early, the park wasn't that busy, and they were able to secure the spot under the large oak tree by the lake.

Christine took the basket out of Erik's arms, put it down, beneath the tree, and took out the large blanket to spread on the floor. She then indicated for Erik to sit down on the grass and proceeded to pull out the contents of the basket.

"This looks lovely." Erik said as he helped her set the food on the blanket next to them. "You didn't cook any of it did you?"

"Hey!" Christine protested. "Are you saying I am a bad cook? I am hurt, Erik!" She clasped her chest, pouting. "Deeply hurt!"

"I'm sorry." He pulled her closer to him, and kissed her lips, softly. "I love your cooking."

"Well, you haven't actually eaten any of it yet. Last night's disaster prevented that."

Erik laughed. "I suppose so. I still love it." he would love anything that she did. "So _have_ you cooked any of this then?" He pointed towards the Tupperware containers, which held, as of yet mysterious dishes, looking worried.

"Don't worry. It's all from Mark's and Spencer's. I wanted this to be perfect, so I didn't cook a thing."

For the rest of the morning they talked, and ate, stopping to kiss every once in a while. It seemed that Erik had gotten over his nerves when it came to kissing, and she was infinitely glad of it. He was a superb kisser, and she couldn't get enough of him. She would have dragged him closer to her, and had her wicked way with him, but they were in a public place. Not that that didn't have a certain appeal, she thought with a grin. If she didn't get Erik into bed soon she would go crazy. Her thoughts shocked her almost as much as much as they excited her. She had never been a particularly sexual person. She had even been called frigid a few times by some of her worst boyfriends. When with Erik however, she could think of little else but tearing his clothes off, and have him make love to her. Oh boy was she in trouble!

Erik was having a surprisingly good time. He had been dreading coming somewhere so public, but the spot Christine had found was very well secluded. Had she chosen such a spot because she knew he would prefer it, or because she was wary over being seen with him? Usually he would have assumed it was the second, but now he wasn't so sure. So far in this relationship, she hadn't seemed to be ashamed of being seen with him at all.

Every so often his mind would drift over to what had happened the previous day, and he would feel dread sweep over him. He had to tell her about what he said to her landlord, but he was having such a good time with her that he couldn't. Every time he opened his mouth to do so, he would lose the courage, and say something else instead. Perhaps if he showed her around his house later, she would be more open to the idea, once she knew what he could offer her. Deciding that this was the best way to do things, he tried to forget about the situation for the time being. For now, he would simply enjoy being with the woman he loved.

"I forgot to mention. I spoke to Kamir yesterday, and got you a full time job at the Piano Room." Erik told Christine, once they had finished eating.

Christine sat up, and grinned at him. "You did! He didn't mind did he?" She squealed at Erik when he shook his head. "That's fantastic. Thank you so much. I lov..."

Christine was prevented from finishing her sentence due to something flying into her head. It took her a few seconds to realise it was a football.

"Aw!" She turned around and glared at the group of small boys, who had kicked the ball. Even though it had hurt, she was slightly relieved. She had been about to say that she loved Erik! That would have been a huge mistake, she was sure. What a perfect way to scare him away that would have been. That being said, she still felt like giving the boys a piece of her mind, for interrupting them.

"Whoa!" The boy who had kicked the ball smiled broadly at them, obviously not sorry in the least. "Jack, these two are having sex!"

Christine almost choked, as she half laughed, half gasped in shock. These boys must know very little about the subject if they thought that they were having sex!

She was about to say something back to them, when Erik stood up.

He spoke quietly, but she sensed the fury under his words. "If I were you, I would leave right now, if you value your life at all."

Christine was slightly worried. Erik clearly didn't know anything about children in today's world. Chances of them doing anything they were told was very slim. The two boys however, suddenly stopped grinning, and stared at Erik in horror.

"Ahhh!" The boy named Jack practically screamed. "I am so sorry!" He turned tail and ran away, his friend quickly following, tripping over the tree roots in his haste to get away, and leaving their football behind.

Christine began laughing at the absurdity of the encounter.

"You are amazing! You actually managed to get rid of them. How on earth did you..." Turning to Erik, she saw he was not laughing, and if anything looked completely dejected. Her smile died. "Are you alright?"

"Ignore me Christine. You would think I should be used to it by now, but it still bothers me." He looked dejected.

"Used to what?"

Erik turned to face her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm not stupid, Christine. I know what I am. I have accepted it long ago. It's others that don't seem to be able to."

"Erik, I don't know what you are talking about. You have accepted that you are what?" Christine began to feel a little nervous again. He was acting as he had during their first date at the opera, and it made her feel awkward.

"Please Christine, just don't. You know exactly what I mean." Erik growled. "I know I am hideous, and there is no denying it."

"Hi...what! Erik, are you insane!" Christine stared at him, incredulous. "You are gorgeous!"

"Please don't lie to me. I know very well what I look like, and gorgeous is the last word anyone would use to describe me. I have accepted what I am Christine." Erik refused to look at her as he spoke. He feared breaking down if he did.

"Erik, you're scaring me. Please don't be mad. I am not lying to you. Merely telling you what I think."

After a brief silence, Erik finally spoke. "I am sorry, Christine." Erik muttered, still looking dejected. "Surely you understand how I feel." He glanced up at her, as he finally made eye contact with her.

Christine could not believe what she was hearing. Erik truly thought that he wasn't beautiful. She could not understand how he could not see how gorgeous he was. Of course she would not like it if he was arrogant, but he seemed to think he was hideous. What could possibly have happened to him to make him believe such a thing? From what he had said about his childhood, she knew he had never had it easy. Her heart ached when she thought about how alone, and unloved he must have felt, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how hard life must have been for him. Yet he had managed to come out winning, due to his success in the world, but obviously so psychologically scarred. Christine knew she already loved him, and so she would do everything in her power to make him realise how truly beautiful he was.

"I don't know what she did to you Erik, but you need to get past it."

"What who did to me?"

"The woman who hurt you. She screwed you up pretty badly."

"How do you know it was a woman?" Erik asked hesitantly.

"Well, it could be a man I suppose, but then I would highly doubt you would be here with me right now." Christine giggled.

Erik's eyes widened in shock, before he burst out laughing. "Don't worry my dear, it was a woman"

"Well thank God for that! If it wasn't I would have been totally wasting my time." Christine laughed, gleaming, and she leaned forward to kiss him to prove her point that she hoped she wasn't wasting her time.

"How do you always manage to make me laugh when I am at my most gloomy?" Erik kissed her back.

"I don't know. It' a gift I suppose."

For the next few minutes they simply lay on the grass together, enjoying the sun, and each other's company. Christine was still a little concerned about Erik, and was curious about what had happened to him to make him so self hating. She wanted to ask him, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it, and she knew better than to pry. For the moment, she was happy to lie with him in the sun watching clouds. Erik seemed to have gone quiet yet again, so she used her "gift" yet again, to cheer him up.

"Look at that cloud. It looks like a giant...."

"Christine!" Erik doubled over laughing, before she could finish. He knew full well what she saw in the cloud.

"Don't you see it?" she asked, seriously.

Erik simply carried on laughing at her. His sides were actually aching, which was a very new experience for him. He could get used to this laughing thing. It was rather fun.

"What!" She protested, indignantly. "It does!"

"I think Freud would say you have problems." Erik hugged her around the waste, and brought her closer to him. "It's constantly on your brain." He tapped her forehead.

"Only when you are around." She whispered, staring at him, her eyes smouldering, as she kissed him briefly, but passionately.

Erik struggled to form a coherent sentence once she said that, but merely babbled a few monosyllabic sounds, before she claimed his lips yet again.

"And anyway." she said, leaning back, leaving Erik still trying to make his brain work from after the kiss. "Freud was the one with the problems. According to him all everyone can think of is sex and aggression. More like it was all he thought about."

_I have certainly been thinking both a lot at the moment. _Erik groaned to himself.

They carried on spotting shapes in the clouds, trying not to let Freudian influence intrude on their game too much, although after a while the game was forgotten, and they resumed kissing.

Erik had never felt so at ease with another human before. He was able to talk to her about almost anything, and rarely felt embarrassed, or nervous anymore. This of course excusing any discussions about certain cloud shapes. When with Christine he almost forgot about his face, and he felt frighteningly normal for the first time in his life. However, even through the joy of being with Christine, their relaxed chatter, and passionate kisses, there was still the underlying terror, which was always present in his mind that he would lose her. He was falling hopelessly in love with her, and he knew not how to stop. No matter how wonderful things seemed at the moment, it was always there, and something still felt wrong. It was almost as if he were waiting for something to come along, and ruin what they had, and take her away from him. He knew he didn't deserve someone like Christine, and it went against all the laws of nature that someone so beautiful would choose to be with him. It made no sense whatsoever, but he didn't want to question it quite yet. For now, he would try to accept things as they were, and be happy. This of course did not stop the nagging doubt at the back of his mind that things were not as they seemed, and that it was only a matter of time before everything was ruined.

Christine lay on the grass, gazing around her. They had been in the park all day, and the sun light was fading, causing the trees, and grounds to be coated in soft orangey red light. The lake looked exceptionally beautiful, the clear water now glittering eerily in the light of the setting sun. Christine sighed contentedly, and turned to gaze at the man beside her. She smiled to herself when she noticed that he had fallen asleep.

Sitting up, she turned to her stomach and lay back down, resting her chin in her hands to look down at him. She had rarely had the chance to just look at him for a long period, as he always seemed so self conscious whenever anyone was looking at him. She honestly could not tell why. If anything, he looked even more handsome when he was asleep, with his tousled dark hair falling across his forehead, and into his eyes, which were closed, his long eyelashes resting on his cheeks like little black half moons. He looked so much younger when he was sleeping, and her heart ached with love for him. She didn't know how it could have happened, but it had. She had known him just over a week, but already she couldn't possibly imagine life without him. Before Erik, she had been merely existing, and life had been a mundane chore she had to get through. She had barely even noticed that she was unhappy or lonely, but when Erik came along, she knew that that was indeed what she had been. She had never been truly happy before he came into her life. Except perhaps before her father had died. This wonderful man had changed all that however, and brought meaning, and joy to her life. Erik literally meant the world to her now, and she would do anything in her power to make sure he stayed in her life.

Christine reached her hand forward and brushed the hair out of his eyes, and ran it along his cheek, marvelling at how soft it was, before she moved it lower to feel the rough texture of his stubble.

Suddenly, Erik's hand shot out, and he grabbed hold of her wrist, hard, causing her to topple over and he was towering above her, his eyes glowing with rage.

"Aww!" Christine yelped. "Erik, you're hurting me." He was now restraining her wrist by her side, so tightly, she couldn't move.

It took Erik all of around five seconds to realise what he was doing, and he let go of her hand instantly, and lurched back, burying his head in his hands. "Oh, Christine." He wailed. "I am so sorry."

Christine clutched her hand to her chest, rubbing it with the other hand, her eyes wide in shock. What had just happened?

"Erik." He murmured, wanting to go nearer to him, but refraining. "Erik, it's alright. You didn't hurt me. I'm fine."

Erik looked at her, and she noticed there were tears glistening in his beautiful eyes. "That's not the point, Christine. I tried to, and that makes me a monster." Erik shook his head in despair, not daring to look at her. He could not believe what he had done. He had scared her, and no doubt bruised her wrist. She had delicate skin, and monster that he was, he had hurt her. There was no way in hell he deserved such an angel now.

"Erik, I woke you up, and you acted on instinct. It's totally understandable." Christine tried to reach for him, but he backed away from her. She had to convince him that she was fine, and he over reacted. Her wrist didn't hurt at all anymore, and she was over the shock. "Please come here." She opened her arms, wanting to hold him. He was obviously a great deal more upset by the situation than she was.

Erik stared at her open arms. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, and hold her, but he didn't dare. If he did he would never be able to let her go, and he did not deserve her comforting. He should walk away right now, and leave her. It would be the best for her, although he knew it would kill him.

"Erik, please." Christine could now feel tears begin to form in her own eyes. "I need you."

He finally relented, and flung himself into her arms, holding her tightly. "Please forgive me Christine. I hate people touching my face, and I reacted on instinct."

"I know." She stroked his head, soothingly. "Please don't worry about it. I am fine. I am sorry too. If I had known, I wouldn't have done it."

Christine held him for a few minutes, his head resting on her shoulder. Her own head was in turmoil with what had just happened. He had barely hurt her, but she had been shocked at his reaction to her merely touching his face. He was a lot more self conscious than she had originally thought, and she felt the anger rise up inside her over what must have caused his to react to such a thing. Whatever had happened to him must have been terrible, and she wanted to kill anyone who had ever caused him pain.

"How about we go back to yours and you give me that tour you said you would give me?"

Erik agreed, and they packed up the picnic, and set off walking. They were lucky they set off when they did, as it began to rain just as they began packing away, and they had to dash for cover under a much larger tree. Christine laughed, and hugged on to Erik, as they crouched beneath its branches, which provided very little shelter from the sudden downpour. In the end, they gave up waiting, and ran out into the rain, hand in hand across the park.


	15. Chapter 15

_Please don't kill me! I am so sorry about the huge break. Writer's block can be a bitch sometimes, and what with the interferences of real life, it has been hard getting round to writing. I am not too happy about this chapter. it's a bit too fluffy probably. I really thought it was time I updated something though. _

_Also, please do review. One of the reasons I have not updated in a while was due to the lack of reviews for the previous chapter. Reviews definitely encourage me to write. Perhaps more than anything else. I do want to thank those of you who review every chapter. You know who you are!_

Christine suddenly stopped in her tracks before they reached the exit to the park, still clinging onto Erik's hand.

"Christine." He protested. "We are getting wet. What are you doing?"

"I have always wanted to kiss someone in the rain." Christine smiled at him, pulling him close to her. She wanted him to forget all about what had just happened, and get back to how they had been, and a kiss in the rain seemed like the way to go.

"Have you now." Erik pulled her even closer to him, his eyes glittering with humour and desire. "We shall have to rectify this instantly." His lips came crashing down on hers, and he wrapped his arms around her waist as they kissed, dragging her against him. They were soaked as the rain poured down around them, but neither seemed to notice, they were so consumed in each other.

Christine shivered, as he ran his hands up her back, and along her neck to cup her face as he deepened the kiss even further, running his tongue along the inside of her mouth, causing her to moan.

Finally, he broke the kiss, and stared down into her eyes. The rain had soaked her hair and it hung down her face in sopping wet strands, her makeup had all but come off, and her lips were slightly swollen from the kiss, but she had never looked more beautiful to him. He also couldn't help but notice that Christine's clothes had become so wet that they clung to her curves like a second skin. She was only wearing a thin yellow dress, and he could clearly see the shape of her magnificent breasts, and the points of her nipples through the material. Oh Lord, Erik inwardly groaned, and he somehow managed to tare his gaze from her chest. That kiss had sent his desire for her into overdrive, and seeing her in that state was not exactly helping matters.

"You are cold" Erik said, matter of factly. "We should be going."

They walked back, deciding that running was pointless, seeing as they could hardly get any wetter. Thankfully, it was just a shower, and stopped after a few minutes. They trudged home in sopping wet clothes, but neither seemed to mind. Darkness was now setting in, bring with it a sharp chill in the air, and they were both shivering, when they arrived back at Erik's house.

"Would you like to go and have a bath, and then I will give you the tour." Erik asked as they trudged through the entrance way, leaving a trail of water behind them.

"That sounds heavenly. What will I do with my clothes though?" She asked Erik. "I don't have anything else to wear."

"Mrs Reynolds will wash, and dry them for you, whilst you bathe."

He showed her up the large winding staircase to the second floor, and along a wide corridor, carpeted in the same dark red as the stairs. He opened the door to what turned out to be a bathroom. Christine gasped as she stepped inside. The floor and walls were made of white marble, with veins of black running through it and in the centre was the biggest bath she had ever seen. It was circular, and could probably have contained at least ten people, with room to spare. It was already full of bubbly, scented water, indicating that Erik had already told Mrs Reynolds to fill it. The heat and lavender scent coming from the water made Christine long to sink herself into its depths. She hadn't had a bath in years, only having a shower at her flat, and it would feel wonderful to relax her tired muscles.

"Towels are over there." Erik pointed towards a pile of white fluffy towels on the large counter by the sink. "Just dump your clothes down the chute over there. I will leave you to it. Just ring the bell if you need anything, and I will see you downstairs when you have finished." he indicated a button on the wall, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Christine didn't waste any time in stripping her cold, wet clothes off, dropping them down the laundry chute, and stepping into the bath. She sighed, as she lowered herself into its bubbly depths. The temperature was perfect, and she could feel herself start to relax straight away. She leaned her head against the side of the bath, and stretched. This was absolute heaven after being so cold from the previous downfall of rain.

She found herself going over the day she had spent with Erik in her head. Overall, it had been wonderful, and the picnic idea had definitely been a success. She was still concerned over how Erik had reacted when she touched his face, however. She couldn't stand the thought of what could have happened to make him so self conscious, and she wanted to help him overcome whatever the problem was. For the moment however, she would put the incident aside, and try to make him forget it too. He had seemed very upset by it before, but hopefully he wouldn't dwell on it.

She was looking forward to Erik showing her around his home after her bath. From what she had already seen, the place was spectacular, and she could only imagine what the rest of it would be like. She hoped she would be able to stay all evening with him, and perhaps stay the night. They had only known each other for such a short time, but she wanted to progress to the next stage of their relationship. Never had she felt so sexually frustrated in her life. The soft lapping of warm soapy water against the tops of her breasts was not helping. She wondered what Erik was doing right at this moment. Was he also having a bath?

_Christine! Stop these thoughts. You'll only work yourself into a frenzy._

She could just picture him now. The hot soapy water running across his muscular chest, and torso. True, she had never actually seen his chest, but she knew he was very muscular due to his broad shoulders, and narrow waist. She groaned in frustration, and slipped down, so that she was completely submerged in the water. She came back up a few seconds later, and ran her hands across her face and through her hair. She definitely needed to get her mind off Erik's wet naked body, before she went crazy. They most certainly needed to upgrade their relationship status as soon as possible. She wondered if Erik was as frustrated as she was, and as eager for her, as she was for him.

Erik stepped into his en suite bathroom, and locked the door. He felt like banging his head repeatedly on the wall, but refrained. Instead he walked over the shower cubicle, and turned it on to cold. It would be unpleasant, but exactly what he deserved due to the thoughts running through his mind. Seeing Christine in her sopping wet clothes, which left very little to the imagination, had done nothing to stop the already powerful desire from surging forth inside of him. An extremely cold shower was definitely in order if he was going to be able to spend any time with her this evening with without going insane.

Standing beneath the ice cold shoots, he screwed his eyes shut against the pain of the cold water. It was nothing short of what he deserved after what he had done earlier though, so he made no move to step out of the freezing shoots of water. He had behaved like a monster today.

It had all happened so quickly, and he had been unable to stop himself from reacting on instinct. Firstly, he had been very surprised that he had allowed himself to fall asleep in the first place. It must have been to do with how comfortable be felt around Christine, and that he was finally allowing himself to trust another person. He had woken instantly when he felt the slight feather light touch on his face, and the next thing he knew, he was towering above her, and he was holding her wrist above her head. He knew why he had reacted in such a way. No one had ever touched his face for any other reason than to cause him pain. Just recalling what he had been through all those years ago, made him shudder. Why she had wanted to do so anyway was beyond him. Perhaps she was come over with morbid curiosity. There was no excuse for how he had reacted to Christine however, and he hated himself even more than he had before. He would never forgive himself if he truly hurt her in some way, and he would rather die than do so. She had told him that she was fine, and that he didn't hurt her, but he found it hard to believe her. He must have terrified her, and he wouldn't blame her if she decided to never see him again.

As much as he felt he deserved it, he got out of the freezing cold shower, and dried himself off. At least he wasn't aroused anymore, he thought gloomily.

He made his way downstairs to wait for Christine in the library. He poured himself a whiskey from the bottle on the side, put on some soft, classical music, and sat by the roaring fire, which Mrs Reynolds had just built up. The room was one of his favourites in the house. Large and circular, with dark red furnishings, and huge bookcases all around the edges, and with the huge Victorian fireplace, it was very cosy, and inviting. He sat down in one of the large arm chairs by the fire, and took a large gulp of whiskey. What on earth was he going to do with Christine now she was here? He didn't think he could face giving her a tour of the house after all that had happened. When she was finished in the bath, she would probably want to leave straight away, never to see him again, he thought to himself. If that was what she wanted, then there wasn't all that much he could do about it. He had blown it already, and she didn't even know about her upcoming eviction. Erik groaned to himself, and buried his face in his hands. He had temporarily forgotten all about the fiasco with Christine's flat. If she didn't already hate him, then she most definitely would when she found out.

.........

Around 20 minutes later, Christine arrived down in the library, wearing her yellow dress, which Mrs Reynolds had washed, and dried for her. She would have to ask her what detergent she used, as it now smelled divine.

"Hi." She approached the chairs by the fire, where Erik was sat, staring into the fire, and sat down on the seat opposite him. "Sorry if I took too long. I lost track of the time in there. That bath was amazing..." She trailed off slightly, as she caught Erik's eyes. Talk of Erik and baths was not a good idea, especially if one wanted to remain sane.

"Not at all. I want you to be comfortable here." He smiled at her, causing her insides to melt once more. "Would you like a drink?" He stood up, and walked over to the drinks cabinet.

"What have you got?" She stood up too, and went over to where he was standing. He had a large range of what looked like very expensive bottles of whiskeys, wines, and spirits, none of which she knew anything about.

She pointed to a very dusty bottle from the back at random "How about that one." The bottle didn't look at all special to her, and so she was sure it would be safe to open.

Erik raised his eyebrows at her, and Christine felt her stomach flutter slightly. Why was he looking at her like that? What was wrong with that bottle? To her surprise, he suddenly burst out laughing.

"My, you do have expensive tastes. You know a lot about whiskeys then?" Erik asked, picking up the bottle she had pointed at.

Christine's eyes widened, and darted towards the other side of the room in slight panic. She wished she could have impressed him with an extensive knowledge of his collection, or at least been able to pronounce the name of one of them. She knew nothing about whiskey. In fact she thought it was disgusting. After a few seconds panicked silence, she decided on the truth. "Not really." She giggled. "So is that one expensive then?"

"It's a bit pricey yes. The ruler of a small Arabian country gave it to me after I built his palace years ago. I believe its value is somewhere in the region of $38,000. American dollars that is." he said, nonchalantly. "I was saving it, but if you would like a glass, then you are more than welcome to."

He reached for the lid, but Christine screamed. "What the hell are you doing?" she gasped. "You're not really going to open a $38,000 bottle of whiskey are you?!" When he had off handily mentioned the price of the bottle, Christine had almost fainted. Who in their right mind would pay that much for a drink?

"Well, yer." Erik muttered. "You said you wanted that one."

"That was before I knew it cost 38 grand! You could buy a car for that! And besides, I hate whiskey" Christine carried on staring at the bottle, still flabbergasted. It was things like this which really emphasised how different she was from Erik. They were from completely different worlds, and she didn't think she would ever fit into his world at all.

"Well, if you're sure." Erik laughed, replacing the bottle. "Would you like wine instead? It's in the wine cellar though..."

"No, it's okay." Christine interrupted. "I'm not that thirsty anymore." If the whiskey cost that much, she dreaded to think about the value of his wine.

"So, would you like the tour now?"

"Why don't we wait until later? I'd quite like to just sit here for a bit."

She curled back up by the fire, and leaned her head back, as she sunk into the soft leather chair.

"If that is what you want. It's getting rather late anyway. You can stay here tonight if you wish, and I will show you the house tomorrow. It will be much better in the daytime anyway."

"Thank you. That sounds great." For once, Christine did not argue with this, as it was exactly what she had wanted to happen. She knew Erik would never have let her go home alone at this time of day, and was hoping that he would suggest she stay over.

Erik settled down opposite her, and they say in companionable silence for the next few minutes. Christine had never felt so warm and comfortable in her life. At that precise moment in time, everything was wonderful. She was with Erik, the sweetest, most wonderful man in the world, and sitting in a beautiful room with a roaring fire, and the most exquisite music was coming from a hidden sound system. It was her idea of heaven. She wished they could spend every evening like this. They wouldn't need to do anything extravagant to enjoy each other's company. If they lived together, they would sit like this in the evenings, and chat, or read books by the fire. She shook her head slightly to clear those thoughts. Simple dream as it sounded, it still felt just like that. A dream. And it scared her. Everything felt so good at the moment. In fact, way too good to be true, and it was only a matter of time before something ruined it.

Erik was pleased that they were saving the tour of the house until tomorrow. It gave him a good excuse to get her to stay the night. He knew she would love his house, and seeing as he hoped she would end up living with him there in the very near future, it was in his best inertest that he show her around it, but he was feeling so relaxed at the moment, that the idea of moving did not appeal to him at all. Christine looked more beautiful than ever, the flickering flames, making the copper highlights in her hair standout, and her cheeks were turning a soft dusky pink from the heat. He could have sat, and watched her for hours, and never grown bored.

"I am so sorry about what happened today, Christine." Erik spoke, interrupting the silence.

"Please, Erik, let's just forget about it." She beseeched "I already have."

Erik smiled weakly, but didn't say anything. They dropped back into silence again, interrupted only by the music, and the soft ticking of a clock on the mantle place.

Eventually, Christine spoke. "You were really going to do it weren't you?"

Erik felt his brow crease in confusion. "Do what?"

"You would have given me a glass of that ridiculous whiskey, even though you were probably saving it to give to the prime minister or something." She giggled.

"Yes, I would have. You mean a lot more to me that anything else, and if you wanted it, then you would have had it. I don't know the prime minister too well anyway, so I don't think he deserves it." He smiled at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Say that again." Christine whispered.

"I said, I don't know the prime..."

"No, the other bit."

"You mean a lot more to me than anything else." Erik paused, and took a deep breath. There was no use in denying it any longer. She would find out soon enough anyway. "It's true. You do."

Christine stood up, and made her way over to Erik's chair. Erik sat up, suddenly very alert. What was she doing?

"You never said this before." Christine had become very bold after hearing Erik say that. She meant more to him that anything else. That had to mean he loved her. Could the dream really be coming true? She sat herself on his lap, facing him, her knees on either side of him on the arm chair.

Erik had frozen where he sat. What on earth had he done to warrant this behaviour from her? Her dress had ridden up when she sat down, and her luscious legs were now visible. Was she trying to torture him? He tore his gaze away from her legs, and caught her eyes. He had never seen anyone look at him like that before. Her eyes were smouldering even more than the fire flickering next to them. He had no idea what to say to her.

"I feel the same." She whispered, as she leaned closer to him, so that her breasts were pressed up close to his chest. The next thing he knew, she had began to kiss him, and after that he forgot everything else, but the angel in his arms. "I love you too, Erik."

It took him a few seconds to process what she had said. "W..what?"

Christine sat up, so she could look at him. "That was what you meant wasn't it?" She wrinkled her brow in worry.

"Yes." He whispered. "I love you, Christine. So much."

They began kissing again, and it was a few more minutes before Christine spoke again. "As much as I am loving this, I think it is time for bed."

Erik tried his best to hide his disappointment at her words. He could have stayed exactly where he was all night. "Mrs Reynolds has made a bed up for you in one of the spare rooms. I will show you up."

At this, Christine stood up and stared down at him, one eyebrow raised a small grin on her lips. "I wish you would stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Acting like a gentleman. I don't want to stay in the spare room any more than you want me to."

"B...but." Erik had no idea what to say to that. He couldn't get over how bold she was, but he loved it anyway. In the end, he merely took her hand, which she had held out to him, and allowed her to lead him out of the room, and up the large winding staircase towards the upper floors.

_As I said, please review. I will try to update as soon as possible! _

_By the way, the whiskey Erik has is the most expensive bottle in the world. I thought it sounded like something he would have. :D  
_


	16. Chapter 16

_WOW!!! Thank you all so much for so many reviews for the last chapter. I have put this chapter up early as a thank you! It appears begging for reviews actually pays off! I do hope it works again!_

_Vamp phan- I get what you mean about the teenagers. I suppose I didn't really give it much thought. I have changed it, so they are children instead. _

_*** WARNING - NOTE STATUS CHANGE TO M. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED (; ***_

_I do hope you like this chapter. I have never actually written a sex scene before this, so please don't flame me too much if it's rubbish! (:_

Christine awoke the next morning feeling better than she had in years. She figured the sun must have woken her, which she could see shining through a gap in the curtains, hiding a window which appeared to cover a whole wall. She stretched languorously, and turned over onto her back. She was lying in a huge four poster bed, with dark red hangings. She was also alone. She sat up, and looked around her, wondering where her lover had gone. The room was huge, and very masculine, resplendent in dark reds and rich mahogany, the enormous bed sitting in pride of place on a raised platform in the centre, making it appear even bigger. She hadn't given the room much thought last night, so absorbed as she was with the man she was with, but now she had the time to look around, she realised how spectacular it was.

Lying back down in the soft sheets, she remembered the previous night. To say it was the most wonderful experience of her life was a huge understatement. She couldn't even begin to describe how wonderful it had been. She had never considered herself a particularly sexual person. Her previous disastrous relationships had put paid to that. With Erik however, she could see herself becoming an addict. He was a wonderful lover, as she knew he would be.

He had been shy and awkward to begin with, almost as if he had never been with a woman before, but far from a hindrance, this made her love him all the more. As she recalled the previous night's events in her mind, she knew beyond any shadow of doubt that it was the most breathtaking experience of her life.

.......

_When they stepped into Erik's bedroom, she had gone straight into his arms, and had wasted no time in making any useless small talk. She knew that he wanted this as much as she did, and there was no point in beating around the bush. The only part of the room which registered in her brain was that it was dark, but with enough light to create the perfectly romantic atmosphere, and to see what they were doing. As she pressed against him, she could feel the evidence of his desire pressed against her stomach, confirming how much he desired her, and this gave her a confidence boost as nothing else could. Never had she wanted something as much as she wanted Erik to make love to her at that moment. _

"_Erik, please." She murmured, as he pulled her even closer to him, and began to kiss her under her ear, and down her neck. "I need you."_

_Erik hauled Christine up into his arms, so as best to kiss her senseless. As he held her, he found himself walking backwards towards the bed, where he fell, pulling her down with him, and breaking apart their kiss. she fell atop him, and then they were kissing again. Erik had no idea what he was doing, but Christine didn't seem to mind. In fact, she was taking control of the situation herself, pulling at his shirt, successfully un tucking it from his trousers, her hands now running along his stomach, and torso, making him shiver, his desire growing stronger for her with every passing second. The ache of his erection was straining against his suddenly very tight trousers. It seemed as if he had been waiting for this moment since the first moment he had met her, and now it was finally here, he could wait no longer for the release he knew the bliss of her body would bring. _

"_Christine." He moaned, as he her hands began to tug at the fastening on his trousers. "Are...are you sure you want this. We aren't going too fast?"_

_Christine merely chuckled in that sexy way he loved so much. "Not half soon enough. I told you, I need you, and I do not want to wait a moment longer."_

"_Christine, we don't have any..." He trailed off, suddenly looked very embarrassed, and it was a moment before she knew what he was talking about. _

"_Ohhh." She smiled, and kissed him reassuringly. "That's Okay; I'm on the pill, so we have nothing to worry about."_

_He didn't need any more encouragement than that, and with one movement was able to move on top of her, so that he was the one now in control. He heard Christine moan as he carried on kissing her, this time lower down her neck, and drifting towards her breasts, which were heaving with every ragged breath she took. _

_His head moved even lower to capture one of her nipples with his mouth, suckling slightly on the engorged tip through the material of her dress. Christine groaned loudly, and tangled her hands in his hair, keeping his head where it was positioned above her breasts. Feeling much bolder, due to her reaction to this action, he began to run one hand up her leg, ruching up her dress. Erik couldn't help groaning in shock and mounting desire as he felt higher, and he had to move his mouth away from her breast so he could confirm what his hands told him was true._

"_Christine, you aren't wearing any underwear." He half moaned, half laughed. _

"_I know." She snickered, burying her face in his neck, so he didn't see her sudden blush. "I hoped the evening might end like this, so I thought I would leave them off."_

"_You vixen. You've been planning this all day, haven't you?"_

"_You got me." She giggled, nibbling slightly on his earlobe. She wanted to say more, perhaps something along the lines of needing to be punished for her behaviour, but she forgot it all when he began to reach further beneath the dress to her breasts, where he began to massage one, her nipple peaking ever harder against his hand. Not wanting to neglect the other breast, he began to pay it equal attention, whilst tugging her dress off over her head, so that she was completely naked beneath him. Never had he seen anything as beautiful and desirable as the sight of Christine's naked body, lying beneath him in his bed, and he could not take his eyes, or his hands off her. _

"_Erik." he heard her gasp, sounding as if she was struggling to get the word out. "This is unfair. You need to get some of these clothes off."_

_He obliged, by allowing her to tug the remaining buttons of his shirt loose. She had torn most of them off earlier in her rush to un tuck it. His trousers were a bit more of a problem, and he had to help her undo the fastening, and pull them off, along with his boxers. _

_Christine gaped when she finally saw him. He was far larger than any of her previous boyfriends had been, and she felt a momentary worry that he wouldn't fit inside her. He began kissing her again, and she quickly forgot this, and became lost again. As he attended to her breasts once more, Christine began to explore his body, marvelling at the beauty of his sculptured chest. He was just as she had imagined him, perfectly muscled, without being overly so, with only a light dusting of black chest hair. His six pack muscles rippled under her roving fingers, as she brought them down lower towards his straining erection. He left her breasts alone as he felt where her fingers were going, and he took her hand in his to stop her progression. _

"_If you want this to last longer than a few minutes, I wouldn't do that." He warned her, his green eyes smouldering. _

_Christine merely grinned at him, and wrapped her hand around his erection, causing him to moan in pleasure and frustration. This moan turned to a growl when she began to move her hand along his shaft. Erik grabbed her hand, and held it aside, moving on top of her. _

"_I think it's my turn now." He began kissing her down her stomach, stopping briefly to dip his tongue in her belly button, making her squirm, and her hips wriggle. placing his hands on her hips to steady them, he carried on kissing even lower. _

_Christine almost screamed when she felt him taste her down there. None of the men she had been with before had ever done that. Dan had refused point black to even consider the idea, and so she was unprepared for the spasms of pleasure which claimed her body as Erik's tongue licked along her most sensitive area. Her hips were now writhing against his hands which held them against the mattress, preventing her from moving. The movement of his tongue was creating sensations inside her that she had never felt before, and she could feel something building up inside her, and she found herself screaming with the need for it to arrive. Sure enough, moments later, she felt herself explode into pieces, the intensity of her climax momentarily stilling her bucking hips, before it washed over her in delicious waves, making her twist in ecstasy yet again. _

_Finally, he moved away, and rose above her, so once more she was looking into his faces. His hair, usually so neatly slicked back from his head was falling adorably into his eyes, which were burning with both love and lust. _

"_I love you, Christine." He whispered reverently, as he finally entered her in one fluid movement. Never in all her life had she felt something so wonderful as having him fill her at last, and nothing could have prepared her for the bliss of it. Her previous worries regarding his ability to fit inside her were banished instantly. It was almost as if they were two halves of the same whole, finally coming together for the first time in a rush of sheer pleasure. _

_When he began to move inside her, she could feel the familiar ache inside her return once more, building stronger with every thrust of his hips. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she tangled her hands in his hair, urging him to thrust even harder and deeper. As she felt her climax mounting, she screamed, the noise muffled as she buried her face in his shoulder. At last, she felt herself explode in his arms once more. It was only a few moments later that he joined her, groaning her name, and collapsing on top of her. After a few moments, he moved off her, dragging her with him, so that she was wrapped in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, both breathing heavily, neither quite ready to speak yet. _

"_Wow." Christine breathed at last. "That...was...amazing." _

"_I don't think there are words to describe what that was like." Erik murmured. "I love you so much, Christine."_

"_I love you, too." She whispered, kissing him one last time, before they both fell into a deep sleep, still wrapped in eachother's arms. _

_......._

Just thinking about last night made Christine ache for a repeat performance this morning. Where was Erik, and would he be up for a repeat also? Almost as if just thinking about him made it happen, he appeared through the door, looking gorgeous as ever, dressed in one of his beautiful black suits, and carrying a tray.

"Good morning my love. I thought you might like breakfast in bed." he laid the tray on the bed side, and leaned down to kiss her, making her insides quiver once more, and her toes curl.

"Erik, this is so sweet. You shouldn't have bothered." She picked up a piece of toast, and took a bite. Secretly, she was thrilled. No man had ever made her breakfast in bed before.

"Well, strictly speaking I didn't. Mrs Reynolds made this, and I just brought it up." Erik said sheepishly, as he sat on the bed beside her.

Christine laughed. "One of these days I am going to get you to cook me something, with no help from Mrs Reynolds."

"I am not sure that would be a good idea. It might be an even bigger disaster than your pasta."

Erik had to duck as Christine took a swing at his head. "You swine! You said my pasta was wonderful!"

Erik laughed and grabbed her around the waist, and held her down, as he proceeded to shut her up by kissing her soundly, whilst running his hands along her naked body, causing her to shiver in delight.

"Don't you dare!" Christine protested as he ran his lips along her neck. "You can't get out of this by kissing me." She was laughing as she chastised him however, so it didn't come out as she hoped.

"I am sorry my love. I will take you out for a meal tonight to make it up to you. How does that sound?"

"You seem to be forgetting the fact that I have to work tonight."

"That isn't a problem." Erik said, dismissing what she said with a wave of his hand. "I will get Kamir to give you the night off."

Christine chuckled. "I am not sure I feel like skiving work on the first night I am full time."

Erik appeared to think about that for a moment. "I suppose you are right, but that doesn't mean I can't take you out after you finish."

"Alright then, but you aren't getting out of cooking me something though. I may just have to cook for you every day until you do, and then you'll be sorry."

"Sounds heavenly." Erik said, receiving a glare from Christine in return. What she wasn't aware of was that it was entirely the truth. Yes, she was terrible at cooking, but her cooking would be a small price to pay if it meant he could be with her all the time.

"Why are you dressed?" Christine groaned as Erik resumed kissing her senseless. "Why don't you just get out of this," She pulled at his jacket, "and come back to bed?"

Erik gave her one last penetrating kiss, before leaning back from her. "I wish I could, but I have to go in to the office. Only for about an hour, I promise." He said after he saw her look of disappointment.

"And so it begins." Christine sighed, dramatically. "First it's an hour, then the whole day. Soon you'll have me sat here all night waiting for you to finally come home." Christine stopped speaking, having realised what she had said. They had never said anything about living together, and she had practically just invited herself. She wasn't forced to try to rectify what she said however, as Erik spoke, obviously not having noticed the implication of her words.

"Believe me Christine; your company is far better than those fools at my office. I also cannot do this with any of them." He pulled her back towards him, and kissed her lips, his hands caressing her rounded bottom, and hips.

"I should bloody well hope not!" She gasped, before kissing him back passionately.

"You stay right where you are." He stood up, and stared down at her, possessiveness clearly shining in his beautiful green eyes. "I will be as quick as I can."

Christine pouted at him, and turned over onto her side, her back to him. "Whatever."

A few seconds went by, and christine thought he had left. "Ahhh!" She squealed as she felt his arms wrap around her middle, and tickle her stomach. "Get out of it!"

Erik merely laughed, and carried on tickling her mercilessly. "Not until you say it."

"Say what, you oaf?"

"You know exactly what, woman. Say it or I won't stop."

"M...maybe I w..won't... and then you'll h...have to stay." She laughed, trying to squirm away.

"say it."

"Alright, alright." She gasped, not able to cope any more under his roving hands. "I love you, you bully!"

"That's better." He finally stopped, and stood up, brushing the creases out of his immaculate suit. She narrowed her eyes at him, attempting to appear angry, but he just laughed and strode out of the door, flashing her a smile which made her feel weak at the knees.

.........

Erik couldn't keep the grin off his face all the way to his office. something that was definitely new for him. He even found himself laughing to himself at the scared looks on the faces of his colleagues, who had never seen him do anything other than scowl if they saw him at all, seeing as he rarely went into the office himself. Unfortunately, this morning he had received a call from his second in command, asking him to come and deal with a problem only he could sort out. He hoped it would only take around an hour to solve, and if it didn't then he couldn't find it within himself to care. He would be going back home to Christine in an hour, and to hell with work. This reckless attitude towards his work was so very unlike him, it made him laugh once more. He had always been a workaholic, sometimes staying up until the early hours of the morning finishing a housing design, or compiling a new computer program. That was before he had something to actually live for in his life though. Before he had Christine in his life, and he couldn't think of a better reason for his work to suffer from.

Nothing could ruin his good mood today. The panicked looks of his employees, flitting around the offices only made him smile. They obviously didn't have any gorgeous naked women lying in their beds waiting for them to come home. They would be a lot less stressed if they did, he was sure. That used to be him, he thought with amusement, his whole life consumed with work, worrying about meetings with some corporation from Milan, or finishing a design on time. Those things now seemed so unimportant.

A small rather jumpy man came running up to him, wringing his hands, and looking worried, as usual.

"Clive, What's the problem then?" Erik asked, irritably. "This had better be quick."

........

As soon as Erik had gone, Christine jumped out of bed. If he expected her to stay where she was and wait for him, then he had another think coming. She would have a shower in the en suite, and get dressed. Then she would go downstairs, and sit in the library again. Perhaps she could find a good book to read, whilst she waited for Erik.

Once she had showered, deciding to leave her long hair to dry naturally, and had a quick poke around Erik's room (a necessary thing to do when it came to boyfriends), she got dressed in one of Erik's shirts she found in his wardrobe. She figured this was another thing one did with boyfriends. It was also wonderfully comfortable, and smelled just like Erik, making it the next best thing to having him with her. Not wanting to walk around with no underwear, she made her way down the corridor towards the bathroom she had used last night, and retrieved her bra and panties, where she had stuffed them behind the sink.

In the end, she decided against going downstairs to the library. She didn't want to meet Mrs Reynolds along the way, dressed only in a shirt. It was embarrassing enough that she obviously knew she had strayed the night, but to catch her walking around in one of Erik's shirts was another matter all together. Instead, she settled back on Erik's bed, and turned on the huge LCD television mounted on the wall opposite the bed. Erik had told her that he rarely watched television, so she was surprised to find out how many channels it had. She gave up counting somewhere after 200, and settled on watching old episodes of Friends playing one after the other, whilst munching on the now cold toast left on the breakfast tray.

She was stretched out on the bed on her stomach, her bare legs swinging in the air, when she heard Erik arrive back home, the front door banging loudly. She suspected he had banged it deliberately to let her know he was back, and to wake her if she had fallen asleep. This thought made her smile broadly.

Pretending to be absorbed in the television, she ignored him when he entered the room, and did not look up even when he sat on the bed, and ran a long hand along her thigh.

"Strange." He murmured, fingering the shirt she was wearing, "I don't recall this ever looking that good on me."

"Oh I beg to differ." She said, still not taking her attention off the television. "How was the office? Did you sort out the problem?"

"Yes I did, but I am now facing an even larger one." He told her, still running his fingers up and down her leg, whilst Christine tried to ignore the shivers of delight they caused. She figured he deserved punishing for leaving her alone all morning.

"Oh yer. What's that then?" She asked, nonchalantly, and then laughed at something on the television, although she wasn't in truth paying it much attention. If only he would stop touching her leg in that delicious way, she would have more luck.

"That of my gorgeous girlfriend, choosing to ignore me due to some rubbish on the television."

"Rubbish!" She turned to him at last, and glared at him. "Friends is not rubbish. It's one of the best modern sitcoms of all time."

Erik laughed at this. "If it's the best modern sitcom, then how can it be one of the best of all time? That doesn't make sense."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and pursed her lips. "You know what I meant."

Erik continued to laugh at her, and glanced idly at the screen, before turning it of using the remote control on the bed.

"Hey! I was watching that." Christine protested, trying to grab the remote, which he was holding out of her reach, and laughing at her struggle.

"I will give it back to you if you can tell me that you haven't seen that episode at least 10 times before."

Christine glared at him, before sinking back down to the bed in defeated surrender.

"That's better." He growled, throwing the remote aside, and pushing her back against the pillows once more, Christine giggling, and squirming in delight, as he rose above her, affectively pinning her to the bed.

The rest of the day passed blissfully. They spent the rest of the morning, and a good portion of the afternoon in bed, before finally emerging in order to get some food. After making sure Christine ate every scrap of her lunch, Erik assuring her it was essential to keep her strength up, he gave her the tour of the house. Judging on the size of the house, this took up the rest of the day.

At half past six that evening Erik drove Christine down to the Piano Room. Christine had changed back into her dress, seeing as the shirt didn't seem appropriate for appearing in public.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Christine asked Erik, as he pulled up outside the bar. "I know I will sing much better if you are there."

"I'm sorry Christine, but I really should try to do some work back at home." He said, handing her her bag, "seeing as I doubt I will get much done for a while." He added with a smirk.

"Alright then, I'll let you off." She sighed. "So I'll see you at eleven o'clock then?"

"No, I'm taking you out afterwards remember. I rang Kamir earlier, and asked him to cut your shift down, so now you are finishing at nine."

"Told him more like." She muttered, shaking her head in despair. "I can't believe you. You could have asked me first."

"I knew you'd say no." He shrugged. "Now, get going or you'll be late." He kissed her briefly, but passionately, and she got out of the car, and made her way down the steps that led to the underground bar, blowing him a kiss before descending.

_Once again, please review! The evil presence in my life that is writer's block appears to have gone for now (touch wood!), and i am writing loads, so the next chappy should be along shortly. _


	17. Chapter 17

_Thanks again for reviewing. Without further ado I bring you chapter 17! _

_Just realised that i haven't disclaimed in ages. I don't own POTO or Shallow Hal. ): _

As soon as Christine disappeared off down the steps, Erik retrieved his mobile phone out of his pocket, and quickly dialled a number.

"Clive?" He said down the phone. "Everything alright now? No more problems."

XXXX

"Are you sure? She didn't try to come back? Look, just make sure she doesn't get in again. Tell Leslie not to let her past security in future."

XXX

"I know. How she got in any way is beyond me."

XXX

"It's not your fault. Stop worrying about it. She can be very persuasive when she wants to be."

XXX

"Alright then, I'll see you soon, Clive"

Erik sighed, chucked the phone onto the dashboard, and drove off with a screech loud of tires, back towards home.

..........

The evening seemed to pass very slowly for Christine, despite working a considerably shorter amount of time than usual. Her heart didn't feel like it was with her, but rather a few miles away with Erik. Consequently, she didn't think she sung at her best. She was sure, had Erik been there she would have sung with ability even to make Simon Cowell stand to cheer, but Erik wasn't there, so her singing most likely resembled that of a cow mooing. This comparison was evidently just in her mind however, as the bar's customers cheered enthusiastically after every song as usual.

"Yarite?" Robbie sidled over to her during her break. "Haven't seen you in a few days. I hear you'll be here full time now?"

"Yep." Christine beamed. "I only get Monday and Sunday nights off now, but I don't mind. This is the best job I've ever had."

Robbie made a noise that sounded like "humph", and began staring at the wall, appearing not to want to meet her eye. He seemed slightly preoccupied, and not his usually bubbly self.

"Is everything alright Robbie?" Christine asked, feeling concerned. He was not behaving as he normally did at all. Usually he would have cracked some terrible joke by now, or said something flirtatious about her outfit.

"Huh?" He jumped, and turned to look at her, and stared as if he had only just seen her. "Oh no, I'm fine." He mumbled. He didn't look fine. His usually glossy blond hair was slightly lank, and he had definite bags under his eyes. Whatever was troubling him, he evidently didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't press matters. Instead, she decided to tell him all about her day with Erik, missing out on the night part however. They weren't that good friends yet! After a while, she stopped talking, noticing the glazed look on his face. Perhaps she was boring him, with what to everybody else was probably not that interesting. She would try another tactic instead to get him talking.

"How was your date with...Leanne wasn't it?"

This, she quickly realised was a bad idea. His eyes suddenly filled with anger, and he snorted with false laughter. "Her! Oh, it went fabulously!" He muttered sarcastically. "Dumped me didn't she. Turns out she didn't want to go out with me in the first place."

"Why did she say yes then?" Christine asked, incredulously.

"I dunno. Pity I suppose." He said scornfully.

Robbie's behaviour was very odd tonight. He usually struck her as a very confident, happy young man. She also thought he was very good looking, in a pretty boy sense. He wasn't her type at all, and far too young, but she knew many women would think he was gorgeous. Why then was he so upset over one date? Surely he had women crawling all over him

"Don't be ridiculous! Why would it have been pity?" She scoffed. "Honestly, what is it with you men? You always think the worst. She probably just didn't want a relationship at the moment."

"Yer, you're right. She didn't want a relationship. One with me to be precise. Its okay, I'm used to this sort of thing. It happens all the time." He sighed miserably, looking morose. "I really did like her though. I know I'm not exactly Brad Pitt, but...well.....ah I guess I was just an idiot. "

She rolled her eyes at him, in a way that told him he was being ridiculous, and she would have told him so, but Kamir called him over at that moment to serve some customers at the bar, and it was time for her to begin her next set.

Eventually, 9 o'clock came around and she finished her last song to great applause from the small audience. She must have improved greatly over the last hour, knowing she would be seeing Erik again very soon. She wandered where he was, and whether he would come in to find her when she finished. Sure enough, as she was packing away her guitar, he came over to her apparently from out of nowhere.

"Hey." She beamed when she saw him, and kissed him. "How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes. I had to hear you sing again." He kissed her back, nibbling slightly on her lower lip, causing her to giggle. "You were amazing as usual."

"I would have been much better if I had known you were there." He told him, pulling on her coat.

"Why's that?" He asked, his brow furrowing.

"I suppose you could say you are my muse." She grinned. "Come on, let's go." She took his hand; he took hold of her guitar case they made their way to the door. They didn't make it very far before Kamir came up to them, looking tired, but cheerful never the less.

"Erik, how are you doing my man? You seem to be here all the time now. Trying to steal my leading lady are we?"

"Not trying Kamir, succeeding." He placed his hand at the base of Christine's back, making to lead her towards the door.

"I can see that." Kamir laughed. He turned to Christine and said, "I guess I will see you tomorrow night then, if it's alright with the boss?" He turned his eyes to Erik, laughing.

"Yes, that's fine. I wouldn't have left early tonight if it wasn't for him." She pointed her thumb in Erik's direction, who gave her a good natured scowl.

"Come, Christine. I will see you later, Kamir." He began to move her towards the door again, leaving Kamir stood, still laughing behind them.

The remainder of the evening passed blissfully. They had dinner at an Italian restaurant situated just up the road. It was nowhere near as picturesque of the _Trance de Ciel, _but the food was amazing never the less.

"I do hope you are coming back to mine again tonight." Erik said, over dessert, then realising what he said may sound a bit crass, he tried to rectify it. "Not that I expect anything from you. I just love being with you. We don't have to..." He trailed off uncomfortably.

Christine merely laughed, the sound ringing out beautifully. Oh Lord, he loved her laugh. Who was he kidding, he loved everything about her. "Erik, of course I want to go back to yours, and I most definitely want a repeat of last night." She said, reaching across the table to take his hand in hers. "We will need to make a quick trip to my flat though. I don't know how much longer I can wear this dress without being gross."

A few minutes later they left for Christine's flat, and after grabbing a few changes of clothes, and a few other girly essentials, they headed back to Erik's house. Never had Christine felt so happy in all her life. Everything was falling into place. Not only did she have a job that she loved, but she had the most wonderful man in the world in her life. She couldn't get over how much she loved him, and what's more, he actually loved her in return, which was even more surprising. The future was bright, and she couldn't see how anything at all could ruin it.

...........

Erik and Christine spend the next few days living in a kind of fairy tale. They spent 24 hours a day together, and she had all but moved in with him. Erik was still wary about telling her that it would soon become a permanent state of affairs, whether she liked it or not, but it wasn't worrying him as much as it had before. He was quietly confident that she would love the idea, despite the short time that they had known each other.

Christine was lying in bed one morning, after Erik had disappeared off to his office. He hadn't been there in days, and had assured her that he would be back quickly, and would then be free to spend the rest of the day with her. As much as she missed him when he wasn't there, she knew it would be a good excuse to go back to her flat to pick up a few more things, and she needed to see Meg desperately. She couldn't wait to tell her more about Erik, and even more for them to meet. It was an unspoken rule among girlfriends that the other could tell them everything about the man they were seeing, the bad and the good. Of course, nothing Meg would ever say could convince her that Erik was anything but wonderful. He was the ideal man, and she knew Meg would agree with her whole heartedly.

She was just about to finally drag herself out the wonderfully comfortable bed, when she heard a loud ringing noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like the door bell, so she stayed where she was hoping Mrs Reynolds would answer it. After a few minutes, the bell rang again, so she got up, and poked her head out of the door to peer down the corridor. She did not want to answer the door, especially dressed as she was, in one of Erik's robes, which was way too big for her.

Tiptoeing out of the room and down the corridor to the banisters, she peered down into the entrance hall, where she had a clear view of the huge oak front door. Where was Mrs Reynolds when you needed her? Then, Christine remembered that it was her day off, and she had gone to visit her son in Leeds. The bell rang again shrilly, causing her to jump. _Drat!_

_Go away! _She begged silently. She stayed stood where she was, hoping that whoever it was would leave soon. It seemed luck was not on her side this morning, as the door began to creak open, and she saw the figure of a woman enter the hall. Christine leapt backwards, hoping she hadn't seen her.

"Erik!" The woman called. "Are you ere?"

The woman had a very pronounced French accent, and judging from the little she had seen of her, Christine judged she was around mid to late fifties. Who was she, and why was she looking for Erik?

Crouched behind the wooden banister at the top of the stairs, she looked down the gaps at the woman. She could only see that back of her head now, as she walked into a room to her left, her high heels clacking on the marble floor.

The last thing Christine wanted to do was to deal with this strange woman, whoever she was. She couldn't just leave her to wander around the house though, so she made her way down the stairs. She was just wishing that she had got changed before going down stairs, when the woman came out of the room Christine was about to enter.

Christine screamed. it would have been impossible to stop herself from doing do. Up until that moment, she had thought witches were the works of fantasy novels, but this woman before her resembled a witch in every way. Give her a pointy hat, and a black cat, and she would fit in very well as a villain in the latest Harry Potter book. Now Christine saw her up close she would have guessed her age to be somewhere between mid seventies to early eighties. She had deeply wrinkled skin, thin gray hair, scraped back into a bun on top of her head, and a hooked nose. She was small, but thin and dressed in what looked like a very expensive lilac pant suit teamed with huge gold earrings, and an equally large necklace. Both looked rather tacky in Christine's opinion. There was something about her which reminded her of the vile Alexia Walton she had met during her first date with Erik. They both had the same cold eyes, and both gave her a feeling which told her not to have anything to do with them.

"Ooh are you?" She asked scornfully, her beady eyes looking Christine up and down as if she was a piece of dirt she had just scraped off what looked like her very expensive Manolo Blahniks.

"I might ask you the same question." Christine retorted, already deciding that she didn't like this woman's attitude.

"I am Erik's mozher." She said, "And whoezer you are." She gave her another dirty look, "you should learn some manners."

The woman stalked past her, and tossed her fur coat to Christine as she passed. As soon as Christine had heard who she was, she had stopped dead. If she had seen this woman in the street, she would have no idea that she was Erik's mother. There was no family resemblance what so ever.

What first had been dislike had instantly turned to pure hatred. This was the foul, evil woman who had abandoned Erik as a small child, leaving him alone in the world, and then manoeuvred her way back into his life only because he had become rich. There was nothing she wanted to say to this evil witch, but she didn't think shouting at the old hag to get out of the house instantly was a good idea, no matter how appealing it seemed. Instead, she simply dumped the coat on a table by the wall, and followed her out into the hall, scowling.

"You still aven't told me ooh you are, young lady." Erik's mother snapped, turning around to face her.

"I am Erik's girlfriend."

It was clear from her reaction that Erik had not told his mother about her. Under normal circumstances it would of course have been a bad thing that one's boyfriend had not mentioned you to his mother, but Christine couldn't help but be pleased at the look of horror on her deeply wrinkled face.

"Girlfriend!" She spat. "Erik nezer told me about you."

Christine shrugged, and smiled at her in way that said, "_Not my problem."_

The witch's attitude suddenly switched from disgusted horror to sickly sweet, and overly friendly. "Typique! I shall av to av words with him." She simpered. "You may call me Victoire." She held out a frail hand, and Christine took it reluctantly. "And your name iz?"

"Christine." She said stiffly, taking back her hand as quickly as possible.

Victoire turned back around to walk further into the entrance way. "Where iz Erik anyway?"

"He's at work." She said simply, wishing she would leave. Making polite conversation with Victoire was not something she wanted to do in the slightest.

Victoire sighed dramatically. This woman was obviously used to things going her way, and at this moment they clearly were not. "Typique! Not here to greet his only mother." She muttered under her breath, more to herself than to Christine. "I will wait in the library." She began walking towards the library, but turned around as she reached the door. "I would like tea, and scones. Strawberry jam and no butter."

"What?" Christine scoffed. This cow wanted her to make her tea and scones! _I'll make you tea, you old bag! And lace it with arsenic! _Christine wasn't sure how to reply to this. She wanted to tell her where she could stick her tea and scones, but that would probably not be a good idea.

"Our house keeper is on her day off." She replied, shortly. "If you want tea, why don't you make it yourself?" She said sweetly, trying to sound like she would when talking to anybody else.

Victoire looked at Christine as if she had just told her to hurl herself off a cliff. Something she wouldn't actually mind saying to her. She had probably never poured so much as a glass of water in her whole life. She then began to laugh in a shrill cackle which made the hairs on the back of Christine's neck stand on end. "I'll just wait in the library." she said when she was finished.

Christine stomped up the stairs to get changed. Who did she think she was? No wonder Erik couldn't stand her. Christine had thought her own mother was bad. At least Gloria hadn't deserted her child when things become hard. She was far from perfect, and Christine quickly became insane when forced to spend more than five minutes with her, but she knew that deep down her heart was in the right place. This Victoire it appeared had no heart whatsoever. Christine smiled to herself briefly at the thought of Gloria and Victoire meeting one day. That old cow wouldn't know what had hit her.

Christine closed the door of the bedroom, and quickly began searching for her mobile phone in the pile of her things that had acuminated around the room. She was not a tidy person, and the minimalist room was now full of makeup, shoes, and clothes. Instead of being annoyed at this, Erik had told her he loved it, and even encouraged her to bring more stuff from her flat. The place was becoming awfully cluttered now though, despite the room's size, and it took her around 10 minutes to find her phone, which was in the pocket of a pair of jeans flung over an arm chair. She quickly dialled Erik's number, praying he would be able to answer. Thankfully he picked up after the third ring.

"Erik, it's me."

"Christine, is everything alright?" He sounded worried.

"Well not really." She paused, knowing he wasn't exactly going to be ecstatic about the news. "Your mother is here."

"Shit!" Erik swore down the phone. "Oh Christine I am so sorry. You shouldn't have to speak with her. When did she arrive?"

"About fifteen minutes ago. She's in the library."

"Alright. I will be back as quick as I can, and I will deal with her."

"But Erik, what do you want me to do with her?" Christine began to panic.

"You don't have to do anything. Just make sure you don't let anything she says bother you. I am leaving now, and I should be back in 10 minutes."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too, Christine."

When he had hung up the phone, Erik was already halfway to his car. Never had he been so angry in all his life. How dare she presume to come to his house, when he had explicitly told her not to. He had had enough, and this time he was going to put a stop to it. Meeting Christine had convinced him once and for all that whatever feeling his mother held for him it was not love, and it never had been. The idea of his Christine having to be in the same room as Victoire, suffering under her acid tongue was more than he could bear, and he had to save her as soon as possible.

Back at the house, Christine was taking as long as she could to get dressed, so as to put off having to go downstairs. When she could spend no more time styling her hair or applying mascara, she went back downstairs to find Victoire in the library, reading a copy of _Vogue. _She had to cough in order to get her attention.

"Erik should be here soon." She told her, taking a seat as far away from hers as possible.

They sat for a few minutes in uncomfortable silence. Christine refused point blank to start any sort of conversation with this woman.

"Ow long ave you been seeing my son?" Victoire asked eventually, looking up from the magazine, her eyes flashing.

"Erm... Just over a week." It seemed a great deal longer, thought Christine. To think that just 10 days ago she had never met him, and now she couldn't even comprehend a life without Erik in it.

"Such a short time. And you are already living togezher?" The question was framed in what an outsider would interpret as perfectly ordinary, but Christine noticed the underlying tone of disapproval in her voice.

"Practically, yes." Christine said, proudly. There was no way she was going to let Victoire make her feel ashamed of her relationship with Erik.

"So, Christine, what is it exactly zat you do?".

"I'm a singer."

"Oh, how lovely." Victoire forced a smile, which did not reach her cold eyes. "I should av guessed."

"What do you mean by that?" Christine asked, sounding more affronted than she meant to.

"On nothing, nothing at all, my dear." She smiled again, in picked up the magazine.

"I don't think it is nothing at all." Christine snapped.

Victoire looked up from the magazine, and narrowed her eyes, looking even more like a witch. She dropped the magazine down of the coffee table, and leaned in closer to where Christine was sat opposite her. Christine was sure she was going to say something scathing, and she was preparing to defend herself, when she chuckled, and sat back in her seat.

"All I mean is zat it must be ard for you to earn much of a living from singing." Victoire simpered. "You must av struggled."

Christine frowned, not too sure where Victoire was going with this conversation. "Well it isn't always steady. I was a waitress until recently, but I now have a job singing in a bar Erik owns in town."

"Ah, ow fortunate. Your luck certainly az changed since you met my son."

Christine smiled her first genuine smile since meeting Victoire. Maybe she really was just trying to be polite after all. Surely she couldn't be all bad if she had produced such an amazing son. "Oh yes, definitely. I can't imagine life without him now."

"Well quite. You certainly are doing well for yourself now." She said, glancing around the large, beautifully furnished room.

Christine was slowly realising where Victoire was going, and she didn't like it one bit. She could feel the anger building up inside her. "I do hope that I am mistaken at what you are saying Madame, but I get the impression you are accusing me of being a gold digger."

Victoire laughed once more, one totally devoid of any humour. "Zhere is no need to act so uptight. I won't say anything." She wiped a bit of imaginary dust off her suit, so as not to look at Christine. "You think I actually want to hurt my only son? Ooh do you take me for?" She put on the sweet voice she had used before. It was not going to fool Christine in the slightest. Victoire looked up at Christine, who was struggling against the desire to smack the bitch in the middle of her ugly face.

Christine had had enough. "I will tell you what I take you for!" She stood up, and shouted down at her. "You are an evil, unfeeling old woman! How dare you accuse me of being someone like _you_!"

"Aw dare you speak to me like zat!" Victoire screamed, her accent even more pronounced than before. She stood up to face Christine, but she only came up to her chin, so Christine was able to glare down at her still.

Christine ignored her, and carried on. "I will speak to you exactly how I please!" Christine yelled.

Victoire tried to speak, but Christine interrupted. She was on a roll now, and nothing was going to stop her now. "No! You will shut up and listen to me! When I first met Erik, he told me he knew he was hideous, and he couldn't understand why anyone would want him. Can you believe that? I couldn't understand how a man this talented, this gorgeous, this sweet could ever see himself as anything other than that." Christine scoffed. She was the one now looking at Victoire like a piece of dirt, and she didn't care. "Well, now I know." She finished, the last sentence said laced with as much venom as she could muster. She had been prepared to give Victoire a chance. Perhaps she was ashamed of the way she had treated her son as child, and wanted to change. How naive she had been. Erik's mother held no guilt or remorse in her heart, and she had been a fool to ever think otherwise.

Victoire was now stood a few meters away from Christine, and was staring at her, eyes wide with fury, her nostrils flaring. She was breathing heavily, and looked so angry that she might just explode at any moment. "Aw...dare...you." She managed to hiss. Christine was willing to bet everything she owned that she had never been spoken to like that in all her life. It was about time she heard the truth.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Christine and Victoire both span around to face Erik, who was stood leaning on the door frame. He was smiling.

_That little green button is just begging to be clicked by you!! _


	18. Chapter 18

_Sorry if you recieved about a million updates for this chapter, and nothing to show for it. Stupid fanfiction has only just let me update. I was trying all evening yesterday!! _

_There is a little surprise at the end of this chapter, which may come as a shock. Then again, it may be obvious. Hope you enjoy. (: _

"Well, this is pleasant isn't it." Erik walked into the room to stand next to Christine. "It appears I rushed back here for no reason. You are doing rather well yourself, Christine." He smiled down at her.

Christine had turned white. She had been so engrossed in her shouting match with Victoire, that she hadn't even noticed him. How much had he heard, and would he be angry at her for how she had talked to his mother? At the time she hadn't cared what she said, not thinking about the consequences in the slightest, but surely this would now spell the end of her relationship with Erik.

"Erik!" Victoire screeched. "Did you ere what she said to me?" She gestured wildly towards Christine, as she stomped up to Erik.

"Yes, I did." He spoke to Christine, not even glancing at his mother. Why was he still smiling? He should be throwing her out by now. She had just hurled abuse at his mother. Not something that was encouraged when meeting said mother for the first time.

"Well! What are you going to do about it?" Victoire screamed. She was now staring daggers at Christine, who could feel herself shrinking backwards towards the sofa, where she sat down, and held her now aching head in her hand. "Are you just going to stand zhere and let er talk to me like zat!?"

"Yes mother, I believe I am." Erik couldn't believe he was doing this. Seeing Christine shouting at Victoire had confirmed that he must do what he had wanted to do for years. To rid himself of his mother for good. She didn't care about him, and she never had. The conversation he had just overheard proved that. For too long, he had been a fool, believing that she had changed, that she would love him as he had always wanted. He wasn't sure if it was meeting Christine that did it, or simply a realisation that was long overdue, but it was time he told his mother exactly what he had secretly wanted to for years.

"I think it is time you left now, don't you think." Erik said softly, not hint of any kind of emotion in his voice. If the situation wasn't quite so serious, he would have laughed at the look of sheer horror on Victoire's face, her large amber eyes wide, her lips pursed in fury.

Christine could feel herself begin to panic. He wasn't really about to throw her out was he? Just when she had found the man of her dreams, she had to have one slagging match with his witch of a mother, and now it was over. Once again she had blown a relationship because of her loud mouth.

Victoire turned her cold, laughing eyes to Christine, triumph emanating from her. "You eard im! You av ruined everything for yourself. Get going then!"

Christine stood, whether to defend herself, or to leave she didn't know. She felt as if she could burst into tears, or tare Victoire's eyes out. She wasn't sure which held more appeal.

"No." Erik spoke again. "Not her, you." He now turned to look at Victoire, who gaped at him in horror. "Yes, you. Get whatever you brought with you, and get out now." He still spoke in that calm voice, which gave nothing away as to what he was really feeling.

Christine was just as shocked as Victoire appeared to be, but she could already feel the broad grin spreading across her face. Erik was finally standing up to his mother, and she couldn't be happier for him.

"What are you talking about, Erik? You can't throw me out. I am your mozher!"

"I never would have guessed." He said, coldly.

"What do you mean by zat?" Victoire asked, her voice piercing.

"We both know that you have never been a mother to me on any level. I told you yesterday, when you came to my office uninvited to go back to Paris, but you did not listen. If the money is gone, then that is entirely you own fault. I gave you enough to keep you going for several lifetimes, and I will not bail you out again."

"But Erik." She pouted her lips in a way her obviously thought to be endearing. It was amazing how her voice could go from screaming to simpering in the blink of an eye. "You aren't going to leave me to starve are you?" Her eyes began to glitter with tears, and she sniffed loudly. She was playing to wronged party perfectly, and Erik felt a brief stab of guilt, before he quickly got a hold of himself. He was not going to fall for her crocodile tears ever again.

Many people would have described Victoire as a very attractive woman, and she looked a great deal younger than her 60 years. Her face was virtually wrinkle free, most likely due to copious amounts of Botox, she had pouting red lips, again not a natural feature, and her dyed dark brown hair was pulled back into an elegant bun on top of her head. Right now, however, he saw her for what she was inside. A cruel, heartless woman, who would never understand the meaning of love.

As a child, Erik had thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she had always been so distant from him, never giving her deformed son a second thought when she swanned off around the world, spending all that was left of the money his father had left them, and when it was all gone, she had given him away to people who were even worse as carers went. By all rights he should hate her, but now all he felt for her was pity. That, and the desire never to see her ever again.

"Don't be so ridiculous." He laughed harshly. "The apartment you live in must be worth well over a million euro. You will have to sell it, and move somewhere cheaper."

Victoire gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. "I cannot move. I love my flat. It iz my ome."

"I am afraid that you will have to, if you want to survive. I am not going to give you any more money, so there is no point in looking at me like that, because I will not change my mind."

Victoire's face transformed from pouting, and tear stained to menacing in a matter of seconds. "You will regret zis! I am all you will ever have, and you know it!" She screamed. "When your whore leaves you do not come crying to me! And mark my words, she will leave. No one could put up with you for that long."

With that, she turned around, and stalked out of the room. The loud slam of the front door was the last thing they heard of her.

Christine had been sitting in silence for the last few minutes, not wanting to interfere. Listening to what that vile creature said to Erik caused the tears to come unheeded down her cheeks. She could not believe that anyone could be as cruel as to say those things, let alone to their own child. As soon as Victoire had left, she ran across the room to Erik, and flung herself into his arms, knowing instinctively that he needed her at this moment more than ever before.

"You did the right thing, Erik." Christine whispered, as she held him.

Erik smiled weakly. "I have been wanting to do that for about 10 years."

"You were incredible."

"No, you were. I have never seen anyone speak to her like you did. And I rushed back thinking you needed saving." He laughed. "Shows how little I know."

"I couldn't sit there and listen to her any longer. I thought you were mad at me to begin with." She giggled nervously.

"No way. You were beyond amazing."

"I don't know about that. I merely said what I thought. Are you alright?" Christine looked up at him, worried. "I can't believe what she said to you. I thought my mother was bad, but I've never met anyone as cruel as her."

"I know what she is like, and she doesn't bother me anymore. Honestly." He said, noticing her concerned eyes. "Everything she said used to affect me, but not anymore." He paused. "Ever since I met you." He smiled and kissed her.

"I love you so much." She reached up, and kissed him again, still not sure he was telling the truth as to how much his mother's words had affected him. "You don't have to go back to work yet do you?"

"No, I think they will manage without me."

"Good. How about we spend the rest of the day watching movies, and eating junk food?" Christine suggested, trying to take the subject away from Victoire.

"That sounds great, but aren't you supposed to be meeting your friend Meg later?"

"Yes, but we can always meet up next weekend. Besides, I need to meet her in 10 minutes, and there is no way I will be on time now. I will just call her now, and cancel." She made to move away, but Erik stopped her, by grabbing onto her hand.

"I told you before. You can borrow one of my cars any time you want. I think you should go and meet your friend, and we will do movies tomorrow night. I have a lot of stuff I need to sort out here anyway."

Figuring that he probably wanted to be alone for a while, Christine agreed. "Alright, If you're sure. But this better not be an excuse to sulk all day. She isn't worth it!"

Erik laughed. "I assure you, it isn't. I told you, she doesn't bother me anymore. Now get going and meet your friend, and I will take you to work later tonight."

Christine smiled out of the corner of her mouth, and Erik kissed the spot where her lips turned up. "Only if you come and watch me singing tonight."

"Alright then, if you insist." He sighed, but he was grinning. I will have to drop you off first, and come back though. There is something I need to do first."

Christine narrowed her eyes at him, suspiciously. "What's that?"

"That, my darling is a surprise."

After a few minutes begging Erik as to what the surprise was, Christine gave up, and headed off to meet Meg. She would probe him later, and find it out. She was never very good at receiving surprises.

.........

Christine skidded into the cafe, looking around for Meg. She saw her, curled up on one of the large purple sofas in the far corner, reading a magazine.

"Hi Meg, I am so sorry I am late." Christine collapsed next to her, dumping her bag on the table, spilling its contents onto the wooden top.

"That's okay." Meg grinned as she sat down. "You too busy with that new boyfriend of yours I guess?" She wiggled her eyebrows in a way only Meg seemed to be able to do.

Christine smiled. "Well sort of. I've just had a huge argument with his mother actually."

"What!" Meg exclaimed, and then laughed so hard, the entire cafe glanced around at her.

Christine proceeded to explain everything that had happened with Victoire, whilst Meg listened, her mouth wide in shock the entire time.

"What a cow! She deserves everything she gets if you ask me."

"You can say that again. Erik said he didn't care what she says anymore, but I'm not so sure. I do worry about him sometimes." She frowned.

"When am I going to meet Erik then? He sounds very special to you."

"He is." Christine grinned at her lopsidedly. "Come to the bar tonight and you'll meet him. If I can persuade him to stay that is."

"Alright, I'll be there."

"So, how are things with you. Anything happened with that guy from your office? He sounded cute."

Meg wasn't listening to her however, and so didn't answer. Instead, she was staring intently at something that had fallen out of Christine's bag onto the table.

"What's that?" she picked up the small piece of card, staring at it as if it were a golden ticket to Willie Wonka's chocolate factory. "Where did you get this?" She whispered, reverently.

Her eyes snapped up to look at Christine. They were wide with shock, and what looked like wondrous joy.

Christine glanced at the piece of card in Meg's hand. It was the card Christine had been given by that awful Alexia Walton when she and Erik had gone to the opera.

"This horrid woman I met gave it to me when I went out with Erik." She shrugged. "I thought I'd thrown it out actually." She tipped the coffee cup to her mouth, finishing off the drink.

"Th...thrown it out!" Meg shouted, looking at Christine as if she had just told her she had thrown away a million pounds. Meg took a deep breath as if to calm herself before continuing. "Christine, do you have any idea who this is?" She asked, waving the gold embossed card in her face.

"Erm... I think she's some kind of model. She gave me that, saying we should do lunch or something. I had completely forgotten about it until now." She shrugged, feeling slightly annoyed that clearly Meg knew more about the situation than she did. "I need another cappuccino." She made to stand up, but Meg grabbed her arm, and pulled her back.

"And you didn't call her?" Meg asked, sounding incredulous.

"Well no, she sounded like a right cow, and she looked a complete mess. All bone and Botox." She shuddered at the memory of Alexia, and of the way she had talked to her about Erik.

"Right cow." Meg said under her breath, exasperated. "Christine, Alexia is the owner of the most prestigious modelling agency in the world. If she asks you to "do lunch" you do it. No questions. When I was doing my modelling, Alexia was all everyone talked about. Her gold card was the most sought after thing by everyone in the business. Anyone who was anyone knew Alexia. All her close friends are majorly successful in all that they have done, and it is all down to Alexia."

"I have no desire to be a model Meg, and even if I did, I wouldn't want to go with _her_."

"It's not just about modelling, Christine." Meg sighed, clearly exasperated with her. "Alexia is brilliant. She's a genius at getting what she wants, and she will make it happen for you if you want to."

Christine wrinkled her nose. "Well she just didn't strike me as a very nice person. Besides, I have all I want at the moment." She smiled, dreamily.

"Christine, Christine." Meg patted her on the shoulder, placatingly. "Sometimes we have to associate with people who aren't very nice to get on in this world. That is the way life is I'm afraid. So are you going to call her?" she asked excitedly.

"No, I'm not. Why would I want to?"

Meg opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Christine spoke again.

"I am going to get another cappuccino. You want one?"

"Yes please, with skimmed milk, and tell them to be generous with the chocolate on the top." Meg said, sounding distracted, still staring at Alexia's card, which was now lying on the table top.

Christine went over to the counter to get the cappuccinos, and didn't notice when Meg slipped the tiny gold card into her jeans pocket.

......

"Good evening." Christine sang happily as she opened the door to the Piano room later that evening. Robbie was already there, absentmindedly polishing glasses behind the bar. "You're early. Kamir not here yet?"

"Huh?" He looked up at her, eyes wide. "Oh it's you. No, I got in early."

Christine laughed, dumping her guitar case on a table and pulling off her coat. "That's not like you."

Robbie did not laugh, but continued to clean the glass in his hand, not paying it much attention.

"Are you still thinking about Leanne? Look Rob, she's not worth it, believe me. You can do much better.

"No, no, it's not her." He shook his head. "Christine, can I ask you a favour?" He put the glass down, and approached her, suddenly looking focused, yet rather nervous.

"Sure thing. What is it?"

Robbie took a deep breath as if preparing himself for what he was about to ask. "Well, you see the thing is...my brother is going to be staying with me for a few days."

"Oh, the accountant?"

"Yer." He paused. "Anyway, he will be coming in here later. He wants to see where I work."

"I see." Christine said, as she opened her guitar case, and balanced it on her knee, beginning to tune it. Robbie didn't carry on speaking, so she looked up at him. "So what's this favour then?"

He didn't answer right away, but began to look very embarrassed. "Err, well." He rung his hands, glancing down at them. "ItoldhimIownedthebar." He said very quickly, and then turned bright red.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

"I told him I owned this bar." He said, closing his eyes, clearly embarrassed.

"You what?" Christine snorted with laughter. "What did you tell him that for?"

Robbie sighed, and flung his arms in the air. "I don't know." He wailed. "I don't know why I did it. He's always asking what I am doing, and he keeps saying I should get a proper job or go back to college. I was on the phone to him the other day, and he asked what I was doing now, and it just came out."

"Okay." Christine bit her lip, becoming more worried over what the favour he wanted was. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Oh, well it's nothing really. I just want you to talk to him a bit. Tell him how great a boss I am, and if I ask you to do anything, then actually doing it would be great." He laughed nervously.

"Have you told Kamir about this?"

"Are you kidding? He would never let me live it down. That's why I came in early. I thought that if I did everything that needed doing, he wouldn't need to ask me to do anything tonight."

Christine frowned. "Robbie, why don't you just come clean with him? Your brother I mean. I am sure he loves you, and he won't care what you do for a living."

He shrugged, looking dejected. "I suppose you're right, but I just want to make him proud of me for once. He was always the one who looked after me after our mum died. He has been there for me my whole life, and I don't want him to think he wasted his time. Not to mention that he has become majorly successful in his job."

"Robert Thompson, don't you ever speak of yourself that way! I am sure your brother is very proud of you. You are one of the nicest people I have ever met, and that is what is important, not having a brilliant job."

"You are right as always, but please do it, Christine. Just for tonight. I will tell him tomorrow, I promise." He was now on his knees before her, hands clasped, the most pathetic look on his face, that Christine gave in.

"Fine, I'll do it, but if you don't tell him soon, then I will!"

"Thank you so much." He leapt up, and kissed her cheek, grinning. "Will you help me set out the candles before Kamir arrives?"

Christine raised one eyebrow at him, quizzically. "I don't recall that being part of the bargain."

"You said you would do what I said." Robbie pleaded, looking like a sad puppy once more.

Christine grinned. "I thought that was when your brother came. You said nothing about before then."

At Robbie's panicked look, she giggled. "I'm joking. Of course I'll help you. What's your brother called by the way?"

Robbie appeared not to have heard her however, as he turned right then to look at the door to the bar. "He's here." he rushed over to the tall man who had just come in the door. He was tall, and broad shouldered, with the same shade of blond hair as Robbie, cut slightly shorter. "Raoul! Glad you could come. Come and meet Christine. Raoul, this is Christine. Christine, this is my brother, Raoul."

_Who was expecting that, I wonder!! Please review!_


	19. Chapter 19

_There has been a little bit of confusion on the Raoul front. Robbie was never supposed to be Raoul. If you look back all that time ago to chapter 1, you will see that we have already met Raoul once. _

Meg sat in her kitchen, staring at the phone number on Alexia Walton's card for a very long time, her foot tapping incessantly on the table leg. Was she doing the right thing? Surely she was. She had been trying to get into Alexia's circle for years and so far it was to no avail. It had been her dream ever since she started modelling eight years ago, and here she was, finally holding the card which would put her in contact with her dream. The one rather major problem was the fact that she had given the card to Christine, and not to herself. That could easily be dealt with however. If she could just get a meeting with Alexia, she knew she could convince her to give her a contract. Thinking fast, Meg grabbed her phone, and dialled the number. Her foot began to tap even quicker as she waited for her to pick up.

"Hello, Alexia Walton." A husky voice answered.

"Erm, hi Alexia. This is...Christine Denton. You gave me your card at the." _Oh no! Think Meg! Where did they meet?" _"At the opera!"

There was a long pause. "Oh yes, I remember you." Alexia answered, and Meg breathed a sigh of relief. "How are things going with the monster?" Alexia chuckled down the phone, causing a shiver of unease to go down Meg's back. What on earth was she talking about? What monster?

"Erm....fine." Meg replied hurriedly, wanting to move on quickly. "I was hoping we could meet up at some point."

"I expected a call from you weeks ago." Said Alexia, sounding faintly annoyed under her flowery tone.

"Yes, well I lost your card, and have only just found it." Said Meg. "I was wondering if we could organise a meeting, for perhaps tonight. Only if you're available of course." Meg said hurriedly. She bit her lip praying that she could make it. Tonight at the bar was probably the only opportunity she would get to see Christine for a while, seeing as she was always so busy with that new boyfriend of hers.

"I have a very busy schedule, Christine." Alexia said, sounding bored. Meg could picture her in one of her expensive designer dresses, perhaps filing her nails. She had to something to get her attention, but what?

"I realise that Miss Walton, but tonight is probably the only time that is good for me."

"I am sorry Christine, but I just don't think I can meet with you on such short notice."

Meg groaned inwardly. "It would only be very brief. I am meeting someone at The Piano Room, and...."

"The Piano Room!" Alexia interrupted her, sounding suddenly excited. "You have got in there?"

"Well yes, I...I work there." Meg wondered why Alexia was so excited about the bar. Surely she could get into the most exclusive places all around the world. The Piano Room was definitely exclusive, but surely Alexia would not have a problem getting in?

"Really." Alexia cleared her throat, trying not to appear too excited. "Well, perhaps I can fit you in tonight after all, Christine. How about half past eight?"

"That sounds brilliant." Meg tried to stop herself from squealing down the phone. "I will see you then."

"Goodbye, Christine." Alexia hung up.

Meg couldn't not believe it had been that easy to gain a meeting with Alexia. All it had taken was mentioning an exclusive wine bar, and she was in. The only issue now was to make sure Alexia talked to her tonight instead of Christine. Theoretically it should be a piece of cake, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole thing, and that she had just made a monumental mistake.

.................

Christine smiled brightly at the tall, blond man stood next to Robbie. There was no mistaking the resemblance. He looked almost exactly the same, except for perhaps a couple more inches on his height, a shorter hair cut, and that he must have been a few years older. He was also considerably smarter looking. Whilst Robbie favoured baggy jeans and wacky t shirts, Raoul was wearing an immaculately cut gray suit, and a tie. Christine thought he was very handsome, and if she wasn't head over heels in love with Erik, she could have fancied the pants off him.

"Hi, Raoul." She shook his hand, noticing that he had a good strong handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Raoul gave her a strange look, almost as if he were apprising her. Christine couldn't help but feel slightly self conscious under his pale blue eyed gaze. She smiled weakly.

Raoul chuckled slightly. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Christine's eye brows came together in confusion. "Should I?" She was sure that she would remember someone like him. He wasn't someone she would quickly forget.

"Sacred Heart comprehensive. Year of 1990-1998."

Christine carried on staring at him, totally lost. If she had gone to school with this man, she sure as hell would have remembered him. Raoul....Who did she knew called Raoul. Then it hit her.

"Raoul!" She screamed, causing Raoul to jump, and Robbie to drop the candle he was carrying on the floor. Christine did not notice, as she was still staring at Raoul, utterly flabbergasted. She couldn't have been more shocked if someone had just slapped her in the face. This man could not possibly be the Raoul she remembered. The spotty, geeky teenager with the worst dress sense she had ever seen, and even worse social skills.

"W..w." She stammered, knowing she must look like a complete idiot, with her mouth wide open. "Well, you've changed." She finally managed to say.

Raoul laughed a deep hearty laugh. "Well it has been over 11 years. I have to say, you haven't changed a bit."

Christine felt herself blush. "Really?" She giggled.

"You two know each other?" Robbie asked, still looking slightly anxious. This was obviously a complication he could do without.

"We went to school together." Christine turned her laughing eyes to Robbie.

Robbie suddenly smiled as if he had realised something he had previously been struggling to grasp.

"Ah! You're Christine Denton! The one who...." He stopped talking when Raoul gave him a piercing glare.

"I'm the one who what?" Christine asked.

"Nothing." Raoul snapped. "I must have mentioned you once or twice."

Christine noticed the sudden tension between the two brothers, and tried desperately to think of something to say to break the sudden silence. "If you two are brothers, then how come you have different surnames?"

"Same mother, different father." Said Raoul. "Robbie, shouldn't you be opening the bar?"

Robbie quickly turned around to face the door, where a small crowd was forming outside, due to the closed sign still hanging in the doorway.

Robbie dove towards the door, and opened it, letting the crowd in.

A few moments later, Kamir arrived, not looking too happy.

"Ah, brilliant, you've opened up?" Kamir pushed his way into the bar, looking slightly ruffled. "I had a bit of a problem with the car. The piece of crap had to go and beak down."

Kamir greeted Christine, and nodded at Raoul, before disappearing off, most likely into the back room.

Raoul gave a scowl. "Robbie, are you going to let him talk to you like that? He didn't even apologise for being late. You shouldn't put up with that kind of behaviour."

Robbie laughed, a little bit too high pitched. "That's alright. I should go and serve customers." He hurried off leaving Christine stood next to Raoul.

Raoul stared after Robbie, shaking his head. "He is such a pushover sometimes. If he's not careful he'll let everyone walk all over him." He appeared to be talking more to himself that to Christine, so Christine decided it best not to respond. Then she remembered her promise to Robbie. "He's a great boss actually. Very...easygoing."

Raoul rolled his eyes. "That isn't always a good thing."

_Ah crap, _thought Christine. She really should have given what she was going to say a bit of thought. Then again, she may have had better luck if Robbie had asked her longer than thirty seconds ago.

After a few seconds awkward silence, Christine spoke again, seeing as Raoul was still scowling in the direction Kamir had gone. He was obviously still as socially inept as ever, Christine thought with a smile. Some things never changed.

"So how are you anyway? Robbie says you are an accountant."

"Yes." Raoul muttered, still not looking directly at her, but somewhere over her right shoulder.

"I remember you always loved maths." Said Christine. "So do you carry a calculator everywhere you go?" She giggled.

Raoul did not laugh. "I am not a stereotype."

"Whoa. I was only joking." Christine said, feeling slightly affronted. She got the feeling that Raoul wasn't as happy to see her as he had initially seemed. Thank God she hadn't said something about accountants all being as dull as ditch water. That wouldn't have been a good idea, she was sure. She knew they had hardly been friends in school, but he could at least be civil. She wished she could escape to start singing, but she wasn't due to start for another 10 minutes. Where on earth was Erik? He was supposed to be coming tonight to hear her sing. And Meg was supposed to be coming to meet Erik. She sure would get a surprise when she saw Raoul here. Christine wished they would hurry up and arrive.

"I'm sorry." Said Raoul. "Ignore me. So what are you up to these days?"

Figuring that he was trying to be polite, Christine smiled at him, and launched into a description of her life at present. She told him how much she loved her new job, and her new boyfriend. After a while, she stopped talking, noticing that same glazed look in Raoul's eyes that had been in Robbie's when she talked too much about Erik. Evidently she was boring him.

"I should probably go and set up my mic." Christine trailed off.

Christine did just that, whilst Raoul went to talk to Robbie at the bar. Christine sighed with relief. She wasn't sure what part of talking to Raoul made her so uneasy. Under usual circumstances, meeting up with an old school friend would be a cause for great excitement. Then again she and Raoul had never exactly been friends, at least not in the later school years. They had known each other since they were infants, their mother's being close friends, and had been practically inseparable as children. In high school however, they had grown apart, which was sad, but inevitable. He had never made much effort to make friends, and so ended up in what Christine had named the "loser crowd", whereas she had been gifted with the ability to charm almost anyone, and so had been one of the most popular girls in the school. Looking back, Christine sometimes cringed at how she had behaved in those school years, but she had been young and immature. Perhaps she had been a bit cruel to Raoul once or twice. All in all seeing Raoul again was a rather awkward experience.

..................

Erik opened the office door, and tapped Kamir on his shoulder, causing him to yell, and leap about a foot in the air.

"Erik, you bastard! You scared the living daylights out of me!" Kamir shouted, still looking terrified. "Can you please not do that in future?"

Erik shrugged, and sat down, saying nothing.

"What are you doing in here with me anyway? Christine arrived about half an hour ago. I don't think she's started singing yet. She is talking to Robbie's brother."

Erik suddenly sat up straight. "Robbie's brother? Who is that?" He sounded very agitated.

Kamir shrugged. "Raoul, I think he's called. From what I gathered, he and Christine went to school together."

"Hmmm." Erik muttered, not looking pleased. He did not like the idea of his Christine talking to other men. It did not sit well with him at all. Who was this _Raoul _anyway? What a stupid name. Was he an ex boyfriend of hers? The thought filled him with a murderous rage. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice Kamir staring at him.

"So, are you going to rescue her, or did you want something from me?" He asked, smiling.

Erik suddenly realised why he had come to see his friend. "Oh yes." He stood up, and began searching for something in his pocket. "What do you think of this?" He took a small velvet box out, and opened it, revealing a sparkling diamond ring.

Kamir glanced at it, and then at Erik. "Well this has come as a bit of a surprise Erik, and I am flattered. I am sorry though, but I just don't think of you in that way. Maybe you should give that to Christine instead." Kamir said, trying his best not to laugh.

Erik scowled. "It is for Christine! I wanted your opinion is all. Do you think she will like it?" He snapped.

"I think she will love it, but don't you think it's a bit sudden. You have only known each other a few weeks."

"That doesn't matter. I know she is the one, and I want to marry her."

"Well then, I guess congratulations are in order."

"I haven't asked her yet. She might say no." The thought was way too agonising to contemplate.

"That woman adores you, of course she will say yes." Kamir waved Erik's concerns away. "When are you going to ask her?"

"I don't know yet. I am waiting for the perfect time."

Kamir chuckled. The perfect time indeed! He knew Erik all too well, and he knew that his friend had never been more terrified about something. "I suppose I will be your best man."

"What makes you think that?"

"Probably due to the fact that I am your only friend. No one else could put up with your jumping out of dark corners, and constant mood swings." Kamir looked thoughtful. "I must go and wish Christine luck with that."

"You mention this to her, and I will kill you." Erik said, looming over Kamir, trying to be threatening. "Then I'd like to see you try to be best man."

"So I can be best man?" Kamir grinned.

"I suppose. Like you say, I don't have any other friends. I don't exactly have much choice in the matter."

Kamir stopped grinning and suddenly looked very serious. "I am very happy for you Erik. She's a great girl, and I know she will make you very happy. Lord knows you deserve it."

Erik smiled. It was one of those awkward moments between men, when neither was sure what to do next. At last, Erik nodded towards his friend, and strode out of the room in search of Christine.

...............

Meanwhile, Meg walked into the bar and looked around her, smiling when she saw Christine talking to a tall, blond man, and then dashing off, most likely to begin setting up for her performance. This must be the illusive Erik, she thought. He certainly was handsome, and most definitely Christine's type. She sidled over, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hi there. I'm Meg, you must be Erik."

Raoul spun around to face Meg. "Meg Giry." He said, beaming. "No, I'm not Erik." He said with a slight scowl. "Don't tell me you don't recognise me either."

Meg's eyes widened. "Nooo." She drawled. "Raoul! Fancy seeing you here. I can't believe it, you're so handsome!" She turned bright red.

Raoul raised an eyebrow. "You seem very surprised. I don't know why everyone seems to think I should look the same as when I was 18."

She giggled. "So what brought you here? I thought you moved away from London?"

"I did, but I am visiting my brother, who owns this place."

"You're Erik's brother? Well it is a small world isn't it?" Said Meg. "That'll be awkward, what with the past between you and Christine."

Raoul shook his head, looking confused. "No, I'm Robbie's brother." He pointed at Robbie, over at the bar.

Now Meg was the one who looked confused. "I thought Erik owned this place, and Kamir manages it. Christine never mentioned Robbie."

"He told me he owned it." Raoul said, through slightly gritted teeth.

Meg flung her hands in the air. "Don't take my word for it. This is just what Christine told me."

"Hmmm." Raoul murmured, staring over at his brother, looking suspicious. "If you will excuse me Meg, I should have a word with my brother."

"By all means." Meg bit her lip as he stalked away. She had an awful feeling that she had just put her foot in something rather big.

She waved over at Christine who had just finished a song. She waved back, grinning.

Finally, Christine was able to take a break, and she hurried over to Meg. There was still no sign of Erik, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. He had a habit of hiding away until she finished singing, when he would come over to her.

"Oh my God Christine, have you seen Raoul? Doesn't he look amazing now?" Meg squealed as Christine reached her.

Christine smiled. "He certainly looks different. He's still a bit weird though." She whispered. "Where has he gone?"

"He went to talk to his brother. I think I might have said something wrong. He was under the impression that Robbie owned the bar, but I thought you said Erik did."

Christine snorted with laugher. "Oh Meg, what have you done? Robbie told Raoul he owned it. I don't know why. Something to do with male pride I think."

"Oh dear." Meg said, looking upset.

"It's not your fault. He was bound to find out in the end. Besides, I am sure it is for the best."

Meg sighed with relief. "So where is this Erik then?"

"I don't know. He said he would be here at some point." She glanced around her, looking annoyed. At last, she caught sight of him approaching her from the back room, where she guessed he had been talking to Kamir.

"Erik!" Christine met him halfway across the room, and kissed him, before dragging him over towards Meg.

"Meg, I want you to meet Erik. Erik, this is my best friend, Meg."

Erik shook hands with Meg. He despised meeting new people, due to the looks of horror his face often created. Christine's friend was no exception. He saw her eyes widen in shock, but she tried to hide it, under a falsely sweet smile. Surely Christine would have mentioned what he looked like, if only to warn her friend. Judging from Meg's reaction however, he was sure it had come as a surprise that her friend's new boyfriend was a disfigured monster.

He tried his best to be polite, and asked Meg questions about herself. He got through the ordeal, mainly due to the comfort of having Christine clinging onto his arm the whole time. After a few minutes, Erik noticed that Meg's horrified face was not in fact looking at him anymore, but past him to the door. If anything she looked even more terrified at whatever was there than at the sight of his face.

"Christine." Meg said, suddenly sounding very wary.

"Yer." Said Christine

"I hope you aren't going to be angry at me. I did something you might be a bit annoyed about."

Christine turned her gaze towards Meg, from where she had been gazing dreamily up at Erik. "What have you done?"

Meg did not answer however, and was still staring over Christine's shoulder at someone who had just entered the bar. Christine turned around and saw the last person she expected to see. Alexia Walton strode through the door towards her, wearing a black short skirted dress, and very high stilettos, flanked by two extremely large men in black suits, who must be body guards. To Christine's great surprise, she strode right over to her, appearing not to notice the curious looks she was getting from other people in the bar.

"Christine. There you are." She gave Erik a brief forced smile, and then looked at Meg, who looked terrified. Lastly, she turned her gaze back to Christine. "We should get down to business. What was it you wanted to discuss exactly?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you are talking about." Christine said to Alexia.

"Christine." Meg said, sounding worried. "I didn't get time to explain that I invited Alexia to join us tonight."

Alexia faced Meg, her smiling mask gone to be replaced with an ugly glare. "You called me!" She narrowed her eyes, looking menacing. "I see what is going on here. You stole my number from Christine, and thought you could pretend to be her to organize a meeting with me."

Meg stammered a few incoherent words, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. Christine looked from Meg to Alexia, trying to figure out what was going on, and Erik meanwhile looked slightly bored by the whole situation.

"I thought something strange was going on when I spoke to you on the phone." Said Alexia. "However, I decided to give you a chance. I am afraid that you both have lost any change of modelling for my agency, or gaining my interest in any other way. Good night to you." Alexia swung around and strode out of the door, the two body guards following her.

Christine let out a deep breath and started laughing. "Meg! What the hell did you do that for?"

Meg however did not hear her, as she had run out of the bar after Alexia, without giving a backward glance.

"Alexia wait, please." Meg called as she rounded a corner, and saw Alexia stepping into the back of a black limousine. She was not going to let her leave this quickly. Meg was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, and she was not going to let it disappear without a fight. The car started to drive away, and Meg slowed down, knowing she was defeated. However, a few seconds later, the car screeched to a halt. Perking up, Meg began sprinting towards the car. As she approached, the back door opened.

"Get in." Alexia's voice snapped, and Meg wasted no time in scrambling in. As soon as the door closed, the car took off again.

"I have to say that not many people have gone to such lengths to gain my acquaintance, Megan Giry."

"Y...you know who I am." Meg stammered.

"Yes I do." Said Alexia, offering Meg a cigarette, which she took eagerly. "You did some modelling for a friend of mine once. I like to make sure I know about everyone in my line of business."

"Oh." Meg said simply, not sure what to actually say, now that she was talking to Alexia in person.

She held up a silver lighter, and lit Meg's cigarette for her. "I think you have potential Miss Giry, and I think we can help each other out, if you know what I mean."

Meg honestly couldn't say that she did, and so said nothing.

"Let me put this straight. I am sure I can find a job for you in my agency. I will even be able to get you some top class work." Alexia smiled, showing every one of her pearly white teeth. "I will of course expect something in return."

"Well yes of course. Whatever you need." Meg said, feeling suddenly apprehensive. What on earth could she have that the great Alexia Walton wanted?

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Erik and you friend Christine's relationship."

_A\N- Ohhh I wonder what Alexia could be up to now? I will try to update quicker next time, I promise! _


	20. Chapter 20

_I apologise about this chapter. i am so sorry, but it was inevitable ): _

Alexia smiled coyly at the look of shock on the younger woman's face. To her of course, it would seem totally ridiculous as to why she needed to know about her friend, and that freak. After all, what would someone like _her_, the beautiful, successful, and popular Alexia Walton want with _him? _The truth however was that she did want him. Ever since she had met him at that company ball three years ago, she could not stop thinking about him. Yes, he was ugly as sin, but he was a billionaire, and quiet as she kept it to the world, her financial status was not going as well as she liked to boast. That and the fact that he was the only man in her living memory ever to turn her down. She had felt like a fool, when her brazen overtures and outrageous flirting were ignored.

No one turned her down, and lived to tell the tale. She always got what she wanted, and had practically made a living out of it. Not getting her way had made her angry, and no one liked her when she was angry. If that little bitch thought she could steal away what was rightfully hers then she had another think coming. Seeing Erik with another woman at the opera had unleashed a tide of repressed anger inside her, and she knew that she had to do something to get Erik with her. She had followed the woman into the toilets, and put on her best charming act. She was an expert at such a thing, and she successfully managed to gain the foolish woman's interest, or so she had thought. When she received no call from her, her fury reached an uncontrollable level. This was the second time that she didn't get what she wanted, and she would not tolerate it. Erik, and that little whore of his had become an obsession of hers over the last two weeks, and it was getting to the point where she thought of little else.

Receiving the call from the supposed Christine this afternoon had buoyed her spirits considerably. Now was her opportunity to break apart the happy couple. Once again however, she had been made to look the fool. In her cloud of anger, and humiliation she had failed to see that this was in fact perfect. A more perfect situation could not have arisen, if she had planned the entire scenario herself. She could use this ditzy model friend of Christine's to achieve exactly what she wanted.

"I see that you are slightly surprised at my wish, Megan." Said Alexia, one corner of her red painted mouth turning up mirthlessly. She fingered the lock of silky blonde hair which was draped over her shoulder.

"Well, yes. Why exactly do...."

"That is neither here or there." Alexia interrupted. All I want you to do is tell me what you know about them."

"Well, Christine has been my friend since..."

"I don't want their life stories, damn it!" Alexia shouted, suddenly looking very threatening. Meg noticed a vein in her smooth temple pulsing. "I want to know about their relationship. How did they meet, what are they like together, etcetera." She took a long drag of her cigarette, she cheeks sucking in unattractively, and tapped it over an ash tray fitted between the two seats.

"They met at The Piano Room...it must be nearly 2 weeks ago now." Meg said, trying desperately to think. Christine had told her about Erik enough times. She really should have listened more carefully. "I don't know how much I can tell you about what they are like together though. I only met Erik today."

Alexia scowled. "That causes a bit of a problem. I need to know everything. Michael, will you pull up here." The car drew to a halt at the curb in what looked like a rather unpleasant area. Meg had no idea where she was. "I don't think you are going to be much help." The door opened by itself. Meg stared at Alexia, horrified; she wasn't going to just throw her out of the car, surely! The vein began to pulse quicker, signalling her growing anger. She had to do something, quickly!

"I only met him today, but I do know loads, honestly Alexia. Please, just let me tell you what I know about them. I think I could help you, really I do." Meg pleaded.

Alexia narrowed her eyes. "Fine." The door closed, and the car took off again, with a slight hand movement from Alexia. "You better have some good information, or I swear I will not hesitate in throwing you out of this car."

"I do, I promise." _Think Meg, what has she been wittering on about for the past few weeks? _"They seem very happy together. She is always talking about how much she loves him." Meg stopped talking when she saw the murderous look in Alexia's eyes.

"Perhaps I wasn't specific enough. I wish to find reasons to break them up. Can you think for nothing that would grant me this simple little wish?" Alexia pouted slightly, her rage appearing to evaporate.

Meg was feeling considerably more uneasy. Yes, she wanted a job with Alexia more than anything else in the world, and she most certainly did not want to be thrown out onto the streets of London in the middle of the night, but could she betray her friend like this? Christine seemed so happy these days, and she didn't want to be the one to ruin everything for her. Alexia wanted to destroy her relationship with Erik, and no matter what Meg was, she wasn't a bitch.

"I see you are having some problems deciding where your loyalties lie." Alexia said sweetly, stubbing out her cigarette in the ash tray. Meg was suddenly feeling slightly sick, and did the same with her half finished one. She didn't usually smoke, and the overpowering smell in the confined space was making her feel slightly nauseous. "Tell me, when was the last time you saw your friend? Before tonight I mean."

"I...Well we haven't seen that much of each other recently to tell the truth."

"Precisely." Alexia smiled. "Wouldn't you like to see more of your friend? Aren't you just the tiniest bit jealous of your friend's newfound happiness?"

Meg couldn't think what to say. She hated to admit it, but Alexia was right. She _was_ jealous of Christine, and she had been seeing less and less of her friend recently, and when she did see her, she was always late. Meg could not believe where her thoughts were taking her. She was actually thinking of betraying her friend to this woman! Then again, what possible harm could simply telling Alexia about them do? Christine and Erik seemed as solid as a rock. Alexia didn't stand a chance of breaking them apart, no matter what she told them.

"Exactly." Alexia smiled wider, obviously knowing exactly what Meg was thinking. "Now, can you think of anything that seems odd between them? Anything at all. It doesn't even have to be a big thing."

Meg began thinking fast. The only things she could think of were what Christine told her about him. "I suppose it did all come as a bit of a shock. Erik's appearance I mean."

"She didn't tell you he looked like a monster then?" Alexia sniggered.

"No, in fact I distinctly recall her saying he was stunningly handsome. The most gorgeous man she had ever seen were her exact words."

Alexia looked surprised. "Really? Tell me more."

"It never struck me as strange when she was telling me about him. Christine has always been rather shallow. She's a lovely person, but she has had some bad experiences with men, mainly because she sets so much store on how they look. I guess I was shocked when I met Erik tonight for that reason. I would never have expected Christine to be with someone like him. I mean..." Meg trailed off once more, noticing the look on Alexia's face. She appeared to be thinking hard in that brain of hers and Lord only knows what she was planning. Meg had heard of Alexia's genius for years, and that was part of the reason she idolised her so much. She was far from the usual dumb model. A shrewd business mind, and an IQ of somewhere in the high hundreds had made sure she was incredibly successful.

"Is there anything else you can tell me? Did anything happen to Christine recently that might....change how she saw him."

Meg thought for a minute, feeling completely baffled. Then she remembered. "Come to think of it, Christine has been very different ever since she met Cynthia Hudson."

Alexia gasped, her eyes widened, and her brow suddenly looked even more botoxed than before, the vein jumping a beat, and starting up again, pulsing even more rapidly than before. "Cynthia Hudson. The hypnotist?"

"Yes." Said Meg. "I think they met in the lift at the building Christine used to work in. I can't remember what she did to her, but ever since, she had been quite odd. It was after Cynthia "hypnotised" her that she met Erik." Meg air quoted the word "hypnotised", sounding scathing. She did not believe in such rubbish.

Alexia suddenly looked quite incensed. "Think Meg! What did Cynthia do to Christine? This could be crucial!"

"I...I am sorry Alexia, I can't remember." Meg was having trouble thinking of anything at that moment. The look in Alexia's eyes was scaring her. The woman looked almost possessed, and the vein was throbbing worse than ever. Meg could barely keep her eyes off the thing, and wouldn't be surprised if it burst at any moment.

"Look, Meg. You have to tell me. I am not someone you want as an enemy. Tell me what you know, or I swear I will make sure you never get another modelling contract ever again!"

"It...It was something to do with inner beauty I think." Meg said, struggling to remember something buried deep in the recesses of her mind. "She hypnotised her to see the inner beauty in people." That was it, thought Meg. Suddenly everything began to fall in to place. Cynthia's hypnosis had worked, and Christine had been not been seeing Erik as he really was all this time. She had been seeing his inner beauty, as she had been in everyone else she met. Meg remembered, with a cold feeling of dread what she had told her about meeting Alexia. She most certainly had not seen any inner beauty in her.

Alexia smiled, her red mouth twisting upwards, her eyes glittering malevolently. Then she began to laugh. It started off as a slight chuckle, but grew to what Meg could only describe an evil cackle. This woman was insane! She no longer looked like the beautiful ex model, but like a demon, and Meg wanted nothing more than to escape that car immediately. The drunks of London were small fry compared to this lunatic. However, she feared that the damage had already been done. She had given Alexia the very piece of information that could destroy Erik and Christine, and it was entirely her fault!

Alexia ceased laughing. "There must be a way to break the spell. There is always a word or phrase that will break it." Alexia said, more to herself than to Meg. "Thank you Meg. You have been an even bigger help that I ever thought possible." Alexia smiled at her, her eyes still glittering, and the vein in her temple throbbing worse than ever. Considering this, her next words her as calm and collected as if they had just finished discussing perfectly amicable business dealing. "I will be in contact shortly to draw up your contract. In the mean time, I think it is time I spoke to an old friend of mine by the name of Cynthia Hudson."

..........

Back at the Piano Room, Christine was finishing the last verse of her final song for the night. It was one of her favourite songs.

_And I'll see your true colors  
shining through  
I see your true colors  
and that's why I love you  
so don't be afraid to let them show  
your true colors  
true colors are beautiful  
like a rainbow. *_

She took a bow, and the crowd cheered. She stepped down, and went over to Erik. They shared a long kiss, before Christine realised they were being watched. She turned around to see Raoul, stood next to a slightly ruffled looking Robbie.

"Oh, hello." Christine giggled. "Erik, this is Raoul. We went to school together. He is also Robbie's brother."

Erik and Raoul shook hands, and Christine didn't notice Raoul's eyes widen in surprise, and Erik's sudden look of intense anger. She was feeling far too happy to notice much at all in fact. Meg's sudden disappearing act after Alexia had worried her slightly. The last thing she wanted was for Meg to get mixed up with the likes of her, no matter how prestigious her modelling agency was. She didn't spend too much time worrying over it though. It was Meg's life, and she could do what she wanted with it. She, on the other hand was having far too much fun to worry.

"Christine, we should be going." Erik said. "We have to be up early tomorrow."

"Do we?" Christine couldn't think of any reason way they had to be up early. She was looking forward to a lazy day spent in bed.

"Yes, I have a meeting with some clients, and didn't you say something about going to pick up some things from your flat?"

"I can do that any day." Christine said, waving her hand in the air.

"All the same, I think we should go home." He gave Christine a meaningful look, and a wink which made her blush. Come to think of it, going home sounded like a brilliant idea.

They said goodbye to Robbie, Raoul, and Kamir, George, the pianist having already left a few minutes ago, and headed back to Erik's house.

..................

Early the following morning found Christine sifting through the piles of junk in her flat. Erik had gone to work to meet his clients at a ridiculously early hour in the morning, despite her protests, and she had decided that now was the perfect opportunity for a clear out. She had far too much stuff, and seeing as she had been spending most of her time at Erik's house recently, it seemed pointless in having so much stuff she didn't need. Although she wouldn't admit it to herself for fear of jinxing it, the main reason she was doing it was due to the hope that she would soon be living with Erik officially. He never said anything directly but she could tell by the way he talked that it was part of his plans.

Humming happily to herself, she began separating her clothes into piles of keepers, and ones to be thrown away. It was actually quite a lot of fun once she got started, and she couldn't believe she hadn't done it years ago. The phone began to ring, sounding suddenly ominously loud in the quiet flat. Sighing, she went into the sitting room, to answer it.

"Hello." There was a slight pause.

"Shallow Chris, see what you've missed." Came a female voice down the phone, slow, and clear.

"What? Who is this?" Christine asked. "Hello!"

After a pause, the voice spoke again. "This is what happens when people take what belongs to me." The phone cut off, and Christine stared at it, totally confused. If she wasn't totally mistaken that had sounded like Alexia, but what had she meant. _Shallow Chris, see what you've missed? _What on earth did that mean? That woman was seriously unhinged.

Christine suddenly felt a stabbing pain in her head. Groaning, she grabbed her head, and sunk to the floor. After a few seconds the pain went, just as quickly as it had come. Christine straightened up, still rubbing her head. After that, she didn't feel any different, but still slightly shaken. The phone call from Alexia was extremely odd, but she put it from her mind.

.........

Meg ran down the crowded street, shoving people out of the way as she went. People turned back to her, and shouted, but she ignored them. She had to get to Christine before Alexia did. In Alexia's car last night, she had made a huge mistake. Meg was not stupid, despite what Alexia might think. She knew exactly what she had planned, and how it would destroy Christine's relationship with Erik. Thankfully, Alexia had decided against calling Cynthia until the following morning, due to the late hour, but she knew that she would waste no time in doing so the following morning. Once she had escaped Alexia's car, Meg had done everything in her power to contact Christine and worn her, somehow about what Alexia had planned, but her mobile phone was turned off, and she had no idea where Erik lived. The Piano Room was already locked up when she reached it, so there was no hope there either. The only possible hope she had was reaching Christine this morning, before Alexia did.

Meg knew better than to hope that Cynthia wouldn't give Alexia the phrase to break the hypnotism. She had learned well enough last night that Alexia always got what she wanted, and did not care who she destroyed in the process.

Finally, she made it to Christine's flat, where she only hoped she would be. She vaguely recalled Christine mentioning a visit to her flat to sort through her belongings the previous night. She could only pray that she had decided to leave early in the morning. It was her last and only hope! If she was at Erik's house then she was facing an even bigger disaster than she originally thought. She tried ringing Christine's mobile one last time, which she had switched off. Honestly, what was the point in owning a mobile phone, if one never turned it on! The house phone went straight to answer phone too. Meg could only hope that this did not mean that Christine was on the phone to Alexia right at that moment. There was no way she could explain all of this in a message, so she hung up.

Meg rang the bell, pressing it over and over again. _Please be in! _A few seconds later, Christine picked up the intercom, and spoke down it to Meg. "I'm here, I'm here. You can stop ringing the bell." She muttered, sounding bad tempered.

"Christine!" Meg sighed with relief. "Thank God you're in. You have to let me up, now!"

Christine pressed the buzzer, letting Meg in. She sounded very flustered. Today was certainly turning out to be a very strange day.

"Meg, what on earth is wrong?" Christine asked, as Meg came bursting through the door, her hair flying around her deeply flushed face.

"Have you... had a phone call, Christine? From... Alexia?" Meg gasped out between breaths. She was now practically doubled over, clutching a stitch in her side.

"Yes I have. It was very strange. She said some weird phrase" Christine said, feeling even more confused than before. She wished that someone would enlighten her to what the hell was going on! "Meg, what is wrong?"

"Oh, Christine." Meg groaned, collapsing on a chair, burying her head in her hands. "I am so sorry. I have done such a terrible thing."

Christine sat in a chair opposite Meg. "What do you mean? I'm sure it isn't that bad." She tried to comfort Meg, by patting her arm. "Why don't I make us some tea?"

"No. Christine, it is that bad. It's terrible. Perhaps the worst thing I have ever done in my entire life."

Meg lifted her head, and Christine saw that she was crying. Christine said nothing and waited for Meg to continue. "I managed to catch up with Alexia last night. She offered me a modelling contract."

"Well that's fantastic!" Christine exclaimed.

"No, no , no!" Meg cried. "Please listen. She wanted to know all about you and Erik. I don't know why, she wouldn't tell me. Oh Christine, I think I have just ruined everything for you."

"Meg, there is nothing that evil witch could do to break up me and Erik. We are in love." She beamed.

Instead of calming her, this only seemed to make Meg cry even harder. "She can, Christine. She has this terrifying knack at getting exactly what she wants." Christine still did not look convinced.

"Do you remember when you met Cynthia Hudson?"

Christine nodded, still feeling as lost as ever.

"She hypnotised you into only seeing inner beauty. All this time, you have not been seeing Erik as he really looks. He isn't handsome, Christine. Quite the contrary."

Christine felt suddenly angry. "Meg, you aren't making any sense. What are you talking about? How dare you say that about my Erik!"

Meg groaned. "I thought something weird was going on when I met Erik yesterday. You never told me he was disfigured, and when you talked about him you said he was so good looking."

"He is good looking! What do you mean he is disfigured? Meg have you been taking drugs? I told you that Alexia was no good. She has got you addicted to cocaine or something!"

"Christine, I am not on drugs! Listen to me. When you spoke to Cynthia she hypnotised you. Ever since then, you haven't been seeing people as they really are, and when Alexia rang you earlier she said the trigger which broke it." Meg sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. "That phrase woke you up. Oh Christine, I am so sorry!"

Christine began to laugh, sure that this was some suck joke, but slowly her laughter subsided, and her face fell. She understood what was happening. "So Erik isn't really handsome? I was under a spell?" Christine could not believe what was happening. Everything had been going so well and it had all seemed far too good to be true. Now, she realised it hadn't been true at all. Everything was a huge lie! She didn't want to believe it. Surely Meg was lying, but why would she want to lie? If she thought about it, it made sense. Every feeling of confusion she had been experiencing in the past few weeks was expelled in an instant. The reason why Erik had acted so strongly when she touched his face, his horrifying past, and his low self esteem. Oh, her poor dear Erik!

"Yes." Meg murmured.

Christine could not decide whether she wanted to cry or start yelling. In the end, she settled for the latter. "How dare you?! You are the worst friend in the world." Christine screamed. "I had the most amazing, perfect man in the world, and you have made him disappear!"

"Christine, I am so sorry."

"Stop saying that! You are not sorry at all. You have ruined my life all for your own personal gain!" Now she had started, Christine found it difficult to stop shouting. "You helped that bitch ruin my life just for a modelling contract. You are so selfish!" Christine could not feel tears start to fall down her own cheeks.

"Christine, please..." Meg was crying even harder.

"No, Meg! There is nothing you can say to change this. Get out!" Christine strode to the door, and yanked it open. "I never want to see you again! Good luck with your new career" She spat, tears leaking out of her eyes, and cascading down her face.

"Chris..." Meg couldn't believe what was happening. She knew Christie would be angry, but her reaction was even worse than she expected. Meg stood up, and walked to the door. She had no choice but to leave. There was no reasoning with her when she was like this. Before she left, she turned her tear strained face to Christine.

"He's still the same, Christine. He's still the same man you fell in love with. The only thing that has changed is his face."

Christine said nothing in reply, but merely slammed the door in Meg's face, and collapsed against the closed door, her chest racked with sobs.

**Jeez, I am actually a little scared of Alexia myself now! Well, there you have it. The spell has been broken at long last. If you do not review then the story will end here. Christine will run off with Raoul, and Erik will die of a broken heart. it is evil, but I will do it, so to avoid this, I would advise reviewing :D **

**As for the phrase which broke the hypnotism, I know it sucks, but I could not think of anything better.  
**

*** True colors by Cyndi Lauper- I thought the song fitted quite well with this story at this point. **


	21. Chapter 21

_Thank you so much for all the reviews. You didn't really think I would end it there did you? I am not that mean._

_Alexia's reign of terror is not over quite yet.  
_

Christine stayed where she was, her back against the door, and her head in her arms for a very long time. Could it really be true? Could she have been seeing someone ugly rather than the gorgeous man she had fallen so deeply in love with? Her first instinct had been to deny everything that Meg said. After all hadn't she always been jealous of her. In school, Christine had always been the most popular and Meg had always been the sidekick, and consequently always second best, always looked over and ignored. Surely Meg was lying in order to destroy her happiness with Erik. She told herself this, desperately trying to deny what was happening. If that was true however, then surely she could come up with a better lie than hypnotism? All it would take would be for Christine to see Erik for her to realise Meg had been lying. It was this which gave her doubts, and made her inclined to believe her.

If it was all a lie, then why was she still sitting on the floor of her flat, crying like a baby? No matter how hard she tried to deny it, she knew deep down that it was true. Christine had always been a believer in all things magical, and other worldly. She read her horoscope everyday, and she believed in ghosts, and the paranormal. Hypnotism was something she believed equally in. People could be taught to act in certain ways, and someone's mind could be warped to see what wasn't really there. After she had met Cynthia Hudson, she had almost forgotten about their encounter until this moment. Now that she remembered, everything that Meg said seemed so obvious, and she was left in no doubt that she had told the truth.

She had no idea what to do. On the one hand, she wanted to go to Erik, and see for herself what he looked like. If Meg was lying, then he would look just the same, and everything would go back to the way it was. If Meg was telling the truth....She didn't want to think about that. Surely it couldn't be that bad? Meg had never actually told her what he looked like. Having some idea would be a definite advantage when preparing herself to see him. On the other hand, she was afraid. Afraid that she wouldn't be able to accept it. Then she would end up destroying him, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She loved Erik more than anyone else in the world, but could she love him with a different face to the one she had grown used to? That was the question she had no idea how to answer. She had never felt so lost and in need of guidance in all her life. If her father was still alive, he would know what she should do. Fresh tears began falling down her cheeks.

Eventually, she decided that no matter what she was going to do, staying on the floor was not going to help matters in the slightest. She stood up, rather shakily, and walked into the living room. The half tidied mess of her flat mocked her. Just a few minutes ago, she was happy, feeling excited over the possibility of clearing out her cluttered flat. Now, she felt as if an iron weight had settled its self in her stomach, and she knew not how to remove it.

She wished that there was someone she could call for help. Someone completely impartial, who could give her advice. Perhaps someone who knew her well, and would know exactly what she should do. Then she realised that there was someone like that. Someone who had known her since she was a child, and so she felt she could trust. Feeling excited, she began searching for her mobile phone. Finding it inside her bag, she turned it on, and ignoring the missed calls from Meg, began to dial Robbie's number. She only hoped that Raoul was still staying with Robbie, and had not left already.

She phoned Robbie, and asked to speak to Raoul. When he spoke to her he sounded surprised, but agreed to meet with her in town for a coffee. No doubt he though it strange that she was calling him. They hadn't spoken properly in over eleven years. She only hoped that this was the right thing to do, and that he would be able to help her.

..............

Erik shook hands with the two men he had been meeting with, and they left. He sighed, and glanced out of the window. It was dark outside, and the clouds were looking ominous. It looked as if a storm was coming. Hopefully it would clear before he had to leave. He glanced at his watch, and saw that it was still early. Christine was most likely still at her flat. Before she left that morning, he had almost told her about her eminent eviction from her flat, but stopped himself at the last minute. He was not afraid of her being mad, as he had been before. In fact, he was certain that she would be thrilled, if only slightly irritated. No, he wanted to wait until tonight. Tonight was when he was going to ask her to marry him. It was this thought which now filled him with terror. He knew it was soon, but he didn't care. He loved her, and she loved him. There was no sense in waiting. He would take her back to Maria's restaurant, where they had had their first date. When they had finished dessert, he would casually slip out the ring, go down on one knee, and propose. It was simple. Why then, did the thought fill him with terror?

A knock at his office door, distracted him from such thoughts.

"Come in." He answered gruffly.

Anne, his secretary poked her head around the door. "Mr Caveliere, there is a woman here to see you. She says her name is Christine."

Erik smiled. She must have finished cleaning her flat early. "Thank you Anne, send her in."

Anne disappeared, and a few minutes later the door reopened. Erik looked up smiling. He hated being apart from his Christine for any length of time, and he had missed her. Perhaps they would be able to spend the rest of the day together after all, maybe return to bed? He had left so early this morning, that he had had no time to make love to her, and he was feeling the withdrawal. He needed Christine like he needed air, and being without her for any amount of time was painful. The woman who entered his office however was not his Christine.

"What do you want?" He growled. "How did you get in here?"

"It is very easy when you know what you want." Said Alexia, smiling sweetly. "I had to tell them I was Christine, so they would let me in."

"You haven't answered my question. What do you want?"

"Erik my dear, it wouldn't do to talk to me like that now would it."

"I will talk to you however I feel like it. Will you please leave? I am very busy."

Alexia ignored him, and sat down in one of the leather chairs facing his desk. "I think you will be talking differently when you hear what I have to say."

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say, thank you very much." Erik said, feeling very irritable. The last person he wanted to see was Alexia, especially when he had been expecting to see Christine. He had never liked the woman. She was the epitome of a spoiled brat, and everything else he hated in the opposite sex.

"It's about Christine." She said meekly. "I have something to tell you about her which you may not like to hear."

Erik was starting to get angry. "Look Alexia, I have no time for your lies. I made it quite plain three years ago that I am not attracted to you in the slightest. Now will you please leave?" He kept his voice quiet, but it was inflicted with the kind of power which made grown men quake in their boots. It seemed to have no effect on Alexia whatsoever.

Alexia merely smiled her charming smile, and glanced idly down at her nails, ignoring him totally. Her mission was only half over. What mattered now was making sure that he knew full well everything about Christine's hypnosis. Once she had destroyed both Erik and that little bitch, then she would be happy. She had considered not telling him about the hypnosis, and simply allowing nature to take its course. When Christine saw him, she would scream, and flee, leaving him confused and heartbroken. However appealing this was however, it left her open to errors. She could not guarantee that Meg wouldn't go after her friend to warn her. In fact, she was positive that she would do just that. By now, Christine would know exactly what had happened to her, and that the man she had been sleeping with was in fact a monster. The woman would be horrified, and do anything to avoid seeing the real Erik, and then she would break off their relationship, once and for all. Of this, Alexia was positive. After all what woman could possibly love someone so hideous? After a great deal of thought therefore, she had decided on a different path. She would tell Erik everything. When she left, he would know all about Christine's hypnosis, and there would be no doubt in Alexia's mind that their little love affair was well and truly over. This also gave her a good chance of finally making Erik hers. In telling him, she could convince him that she was actually helping him. It was a perfect plan. Utterly fool proof. She laughed inside her head. She truly surprised herself with her own cunning sometimes.

"I found out something very interesting about your girlfriend last night." Alexia smiled, her long nailed hand resting on the desk, so that she could move in closer. She was acting as if she had just heard a juicy piece of gossip which she had to tell immediately.

"Whatever you may have heard, you can rest assured is a lie Alexia. Christine and I are very happy together." He said, stiffly. Perhaps she really had heard something about Christine, and thought it was true. Erik swore he would find out whoever it was who had spread lies about his beloved and kill them! "What did you hear, and who was if from, Alexia?"

"It was Christine's friend Meg who told me. It was her who broke it" Alexia answered, her voice soft, and wary. "I...I really don't know how to tell you this." She murmured, looking shy and concerned.

"Tell me what?!" Erik bellowed, suddenly forgetting his earlier plan of acting calm. "Meg broke what?"

"The hypnotism." Said Alexia, sounding as if it should have been obvious. Erik said nothing, so Alexia continued speaking. "Your precious little Christine has been under the impression that she has been dating her perfect man. I think we both know that you are hardly that." She simpered.

Such words had long since lost their ability to hurt him, especially coming from someone like Alexia. He knew that she was trying to split him and Christine up. Well, it would take a lot more than a few minor insults to do that.

"I suppose you are going to tell me that Christine is a gold digger?" Erik said, sounding almost bored by their conversation. "You can save your breath Alexia. I know my Christine, and she is no gold digger." _Christine is not like you! _He thought to himself.

Alexia's smile did not falter one bit. "Oh I don't doubt that for a second. I do really think she thought herself in love with you. Not anymore though. That, I can guarantee for sure."

Erik did not want to listen to Alexia's evil attempts to sabotage his life any longer. "Listen to me." He hissed through gritted teeth. "If you do not leave now, I will make you. You are not the boss here, Alexia. I am, and I will not hesitate to have you thrown out." He made to stand up, but stopped when Alexia spoke again.

"She was hypnotised. She has always been hypnotised, ever since the moment she met you. Surely you have heard of the great hypnotist, Cynthia Hudson? Let's just say that she fiddled with her sight a bit. Your beloved little song bird hasn't been seeing the real you all this time." Alexia's eyes never wavered from his, as she spoke. "Stunningly handsome she called you." She laughed harshly.

"I do not believe this rubbish. You have reached a new low Alexia. Get out now." Erik stood up. He was beyond angry now.

Alexia stood up too, her voice getting slightly louder, yet still controlled. It was obvious she wanted to say whatever it was she was trying to, and wouldn't go until she had said it. "Didn't you ever find it strange? How she never mentioned it. Never once in your relationship has she asked you how you came by your scars. I'll bet everything I own that she called you good looking on many occasions too." She smiled broadly at the look on Erik's face. "You know how hypnotism works. You know full well that this is possible. How else do you think you could have won someone as beautiful as her?" She snarled her calm tone from before disappearing.

"It isn't true." He said, almost in a whisper. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Christine loved him. She had been able to get past his face, and love him for him. It was a miracle for sure, but it had happened.

_But that isn't strictly true. _Said a nasty voice at the back of his head. Alexia was right. Not once had Christine mentioned his face, or showed any form of fear or horror, or even a casual interest as to what had happened to him. Even when they had very first met, she hadn't stared at all. She had acted towards him as if he was just like everybody else, but to her he _was _just like everybody else. She hadn't needed to get past his face, because there had been nothing to get past.

It was almost as if he had known that something like this was going to happen, and it had only been a matter of time before it did. He had been living in a dream world, and it was finally time to wake up and face reality.

"She isn't worth it, Erik. Let me be there for you." She simpered, touching his arm with a long nailed hand. "I have always wanted you, and my eyesight is perfect."

"Erik wrenched his arm away. "You! Do you honestly think I don't know what your game is? I don't believe a word you are saying Alexia. You will not get your way in this matter. Christine and I are together, and there is nothing you can possibly do about it."

"Call her then. Call your precious Christine. I will guarantee that she will not answer. Then go and find her. Her reaction will confirm everything I have told you. Then she will leave you. Believe what I am saying Erik, and you could be the one to end it. Surely dumping is better than being dumped." She sniggered.

Alexia felt the triumph built inside her. It was only a matter of time before he realised that she was telling the truth. Even if he didn't believe her right away, he would realise the truth in the end. Alexia could read the look in his eyes. She could read doubt there, to be replaced finally by realisation. Even if he didn't fully believe her yet, he was well on the way.

"Awww." Alexia cooed, "You didn't really think that she loved you as you are did you?" She covered her mouth with her hands, and mock gasped. "Oh, you did. That is so sweet." Her face morphed into a pathetic excuse for sympathy, her lips pouting. She then began to walk towards him, her hips swaying, and her high heel shoes clicking on the wooden floor. "I can make you forget about her, Erik. That little bitch doesn't deserve you."

Erik stepped away from her, disgusted. Insulting him was one thing, but insulting Christine, he would not tolerate "Get. Out!" He bellowed. "Now!" Even Alexia looked fearful of the look in his eyes at the moment. He looked murderous, and she wasted no more time in scrambling backwards, and out of the door, running away as fast as her stiletto heels would take her.

Erik sat back down, staring at the door where Alexia had left. She was lying. She had to be lying. To acknowledge it as truth was far too painful to contemplate. However, much as he hated to admit it, all the evidence pointed to it being the truth. Christine's immediate acceptance of him, and her constant claiming that he was handsome, and beautiful. After a while, he had merely accepted her compliments, thinking that it was her love for him that made her see him that way. Oh Erik, you fool, he told himself. Of course it is true. She could never have accepted you. No one can accept you. Even your own mother hates you. He knew a great deal about hypnotism, having seen it in practice during his travels of the world. What Alexia described happening to Christine was entirely possible.

Erik picked up phone, and began to ring Christine. He had to speak to her, and see if Alexia was anywhere near to the truth. He prayed that she would answer quickly, and disclaim the story, but as the phone rang and rang with no answer, his heart sank. Alexia had said that she would not answer. Erik felt hot tears began to form in his eyes. It was over. His beloved Christine would now leave him, and he would never see her again, and if he ever did see her, he would see nothing but disgust in her eyes. He had been an idiot to believe that she actually wanted him for who he was, an idiot for thinking that someone could love him. It was over.

......

Christine stared at the ringing phone on the table. She wanted to answer more than anything, and talk to him, but she couldn't. She wasn't ready, and she didn't know if she ever would be. Oh Erik, she wailed inside her head. You do not deserve me. You deserve someone so much better. Someone who can give you everything they are and love all of you.

Raoul gave her an enquiring look over his coffee mug. "Christine, I don't know if I can help you."

She had just spent the last ten minutes telling him everything. The other customers sitting outside the coffee shop must think that she was deranged, sat there, crying her eyes out, but she didn't care.

"Please Raoul; I don't know what to do. I love him so much." She sniffed loudly, and blew her nose with a tissue.

"I think you have your answer there, Christine. You love him, so I think you should see him. It really isn't that bad."

"Oh, I forgot, you have already seen him. What does he look like? I should be prepared."

Raoul smiled grimly. "It shouldn't matter, Christine. If you love him like you say you do, then it should not matter in the slightest."

"I suppose." She whispered.

"Raoul placed his mug back on the table, and looked at her thinking hard. "Christine, do you remember school?"

Christine looked up, startled. "School? What are you talking about Raoul? What has school got to do with anything?"

"Possibly everything." Raoul sighed. "Do you have any idea how shocked I was to see you last night?"

"Probably about as shocked as I was."

Raoul laughed. "When I saw you yesterday I really did think that you had changed, but today, I am not sure you have changed in the slightest."

Christine looked affronted. "What do you mean by that?"

"When I saw you with Erik, I thought you had finally come over you shallowness in dating someone like him. I was shocked, I'll tell you that, but I knew you were happy, and that was what was important."

"Raoul will you please explain what the hell..."

"I hated school, did you know that." Raoul interrupted her. "Do you know why?"

"No, why?" Christine asked feeling slightly annoyed. He had better be going somewhere with this erratic changing of subjects.

"You." He answered simply.

"Me? What did I do?" Christine cried.

"We were best friends, and then you ditched me like I was nothing to you. Do you have any idea what that is like?"

Christine could not believe what he was saying. She wanted help, and he had to go dragging up old school history. "We grew apart, Raoul. That is what happens."

"Not like that it doesn't. You treated me like dirt, and you did the same with a lot of other people."

Christine felt like crying again. "I know I was a cow in school Raoul! Being popular was bad for me, and I know it. I regret how I treated you, and all the others." She was crying now, a fresh batch of tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why are you doing this?"

Raoul actually smiled then, what looked like triumph on his face. "There, I knew you had changed. The old Christine would not have cried over her actions." Raoul handed her a fresh tissue. "Look, Christine, I am going to tell you something which you may find upsetting, but it is for the best. It may just help you realise what you have to do about Erik."

Christine wiped her eyes, and sniffed. "Alright then. Tell me."

"Christine, you were never popular." Raoul said, grimacing slightly as if telling her was incredibly painful. "In fact everyone hated you, and I don't just mean the loser crowd. Everyone did. The only friends you had were Meg and Carlotta. There was even an "I hate Christine Denton club." I didn't join it!" Raoul said, sounding scared at the look of anger on her face. "Believe it or not, but I was one of the few who didn't mind you. I guess I saw something in you that wasn't that bad."

"Well that's comforting!" Christine cried. "Oh, so I'm not all bad am I? Can you tell me one of my few redeeming qualities?"

"Well there's your sense of humour for one." Raoul laughed. "Christine I am so sorry." Raoul patted her arm, gently squeezing it. "If it's any consolation, you really have changed a lot. You are nowhere near as bitchy." He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but give a tiny smile in return. "I am not telling you this to upset you, but to try to make you realise something. You were unhappy as you were before you met Erik, and sometimes not a nice person. This was when you were still shallow. If you really are the person I believe you have become, then you will still love him. Do looks really matter that much? Isn't he still the same person?"

Christine looked at him, thinking hard. "Of course he is. Oh Raoul, I have been such an idiot! How could I have ever thought I couldn't accept him? I love him!"

Never had Christine been bombarded with so many different thoughts. She was still getting over the shock of Raoul's revelation. She had never been popular in school. It had all been in her mind, and the reality was that everyone had hated her. As much as this pained her, it hurt nowhere near as it should have done, as much as it would have done a few years ago. Instead she felt almost free. The iron weight that was in her stomach finally seemed to lift. She was not that person anymore. Popularity no longer mattered to her. Looking good and having the most handsome man on her arm no longer mattered either. She was beyond such shallowness now. All that mattered was Erik, and how much she loved him. Meg had been right, and so was Raoul. He was still the man that she fell in love with, and nothing had changed, at least nothing of any importance. After all, hadn't she been with many handsome men before, and those relationships had gone nowhere. Outward beauty was only skin deep, but inner beauty went all the way through, and her Erik had it in abundance. She knew it then as surely as she knew her own name. No matter what Erik's outer appearance looked like, she could accept it, because inside, he was so beautiful.

She stood up, her chair scraping on the concrete pavement. "Thank you so much Raoul. I knew you would help me." She smiled at him, waterily. "You were always so clever."

"You didn't need me Christine. You could have figured this out for yourself."

"Perhaps, but you helped me get there faster." She beamed. "I have to go. I have to find him now!"

Christine stood up, and began to run away from the cafe, towards the road. There was no time to waste. She had to get to Erik as quickly as possible. She didn't hear Raoul screaming at her in terror until it was too late . She didn't hear the horn blearing at her until it was too late. She didn't see the car flying at her until it was too late. She screamed. She fell. It was too late.

_Eeekk!! Bet that was a surprise! Review again, and her survival chances increase. :D  
_

_I am sorry to say that this will be the last update for about a week. I knocked this chapter out early so I didn't keep you waiting. Aren't I good to you all! I am off on holiday tomorrow, and so may not get to anywhere with internet. I am hoping that I do though as I should get loads of writing done. In that case there may be an update. I shall look forward to reading your reviews in a sunny internet cafe. (:  
_


	22. Chapter 22

_Yet again I am very sorry. I don't even want to think about how long ago it was I updated. I have gone back to university and have so much work, plus the usual uni life has got in the way. I do hope you like this chapter, and aren't too mad about the huge gap! _

Christine was aware of very little, except for the dull throbbing pain in her head, and her right side. There was an incessant beeping noise coming from somewhere to the left. She dimly registered the sound of voices talking hurriedly, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She opened her eyes with great difficulty, as they appeared to be glued together, and groaned as the bright light above her burned her eyes. Where was she, and why did her whole body suddenly feel like it had been beaten up? She tried to speak, but all that came out of her mouth was a muffled groan. Before she could try speaking again, she felt a hand close over hers, and someone spoke in a shocked, slightly horse voice.

"Christine, are you alright? How do you feel?"

As her eyes began to focus, she stared up at the face of the man above her. "W...who are you?" She murmured. "Where am I?"

"Oh my God, she's got amnesia! Raoul get over here. She doesn't know who I am."

Hurried footsteps approached the bed, and another man stated down at her. This time, she knew exactly who it was. "Raoul? What's going on? Where am I?"

Raoul smiled down at her, relief showing in his clear blue eyes. "I don't think she has amnesia Robbie. She knows who I am." He took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. "You're in the hospital, sweetheart. You were hit by a car." He took a deep shuddering breath, and rubbed his eyes. "You sure have had us all worried."

"Car accident?" Christine couldn't focus her brain, and the pain seemed to become more intense as she tried to think. "H...how long have I been here?"

"Just over a week. We really thought we had lost you at one point."

Everything was too much for Christine to cope with. She had been hit by a car, and was in a coma for a week! What on earth had she been doing which meant she had been in such a situation? Most of all, where was Erik? Surely he should be here. Much as she appreciated Raoul's prescience, his was not the face she wanted to see. It was then that she began to remember. Alexia coming to tell her about the hypnotism, her resultant panic, and then the talk with Raoul which made her realise the depth of her feelings for Erik. She had been about to go to him, and had been prepared to see him for what he truly looked like. She remembered seeing the car, hurtling towards her, and then there was nothing but blackness up until this moment.

"Where's Erik?" She asked. "Does he know what happened?"

She saw Raoul's face crease into a look of concern, and his eyes darted to the man she didn't recognise, who was sat across the bed from him. "Yes, he knows."

Raoul said nothing more, so Christine pressed further. "Well, where is he? I need to see him. I have to explain everything."

Raoul carried on looking fearful, and he bit his lip before replying. "He's gone Christine. He knows everything. Alexia told him about the hypnotism."

"What!" Christine tried to sit up, but the pain suddenly intensified, forcing her to lie back down. "That bitch!"

"Christine, don't try to move. You'll hurt yourself." Raoul placed a hand on her shoulder, preventing her from moving.

"He knows?" Christine felt the tears begin to fill her eyes. If Alexia had told him, he would believe the worst. He would think that she didn't love him. Had he been trying to contact her not knowing that she had been in the accident?

"Christine, try to calm down. There is nothing you can do about it now." Raoul stood up. "I am going to find the nurse. Robbie, you watch her and make sure she doesn't try to move."

Raoul left the room, and she turned to look at the man next to her, who was staring at her with wide, concerned eyes. She didn't recognise him, but Raoul had called him Robbie. He was not the Robbie she remembered at all. Over weight, with chin length hair, slightly on the greasy side, and a bad case of acne, he did not resemble the handsome young man she had known for the past few weeks in the slightest. Surely this was a different Robbie? Then it dawned on her. The hypnotism had made her see the inner beauty in all people, not just Erik. Robbie had never looked as she had been seeing him either. This fact, along with everything else made her want to start crying. She had to get out of here as soon as possible and find Erik. Where was he now, and did he even know that she had the accident? A horrific thought struck her. What if he didn't know, and thought she had left him? The thought was too awful to contemplate. Surely Raoul would have told him. If so then why wasn't he here with her? If he loved her as he told her he did, then he should be here, no matter what that evil witch told him.

"Are you alright?" Asked Robbie, peering at her form where he was sat next to her bed.

She turned to him, and tried to speak, not knowing what she was going to say. Thankfully, the door opened at that moment, and a large rather austere looking woman bustled in, followed by Raoul.

"So you are finally awake." The woman looked at the screen beside Christine's bed, and tapped a few buttons, altering the drip by her bed. "Everything looks fine here. Just try to relax, and don't try to move. You have had quite a nasty accident, and you need to rest."

She then left the room, leaving Christine feeling rather dazed. The nurse had told her nothing about how seriously she had been injured, or how long she would need to stay in the hospital.

"Have you seen Erik?" Christine asked, trying not to sound desperate.

Raoul looked suddenly worried, and he glanced over at Robbie, as if asking for help.

"He was here earlier, but he had to leave."

"Does he..."

"Yer, he knows." Raoul said nothing else, and sat beside her bed opposite Robbie, picked up a newspaper, and began to read it.

So he did know about her accident, and yet he still wasn't here. Did he hate her for what had happened? Or even worse, did he think she no longer loved him?

"Where is he, Raoul? Why did he leave?" Christine stared at Raoul, but he continued to look uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure Christine, but I don't think it would be a good idea to dwell on it. You need to rest."

"I can't just lay here Raoul. I love him, and I know he loves me too. I meant what I said before. I don't care what he looks like."

Raoul sighed, and placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "I know, but I think it best you stay here until the doctor says that you are fine to go. You are far too weak to go wondering off."

Christine had the feeling that he was not telling here everything, and he still hadn't answered her questions. "Raoul answer me. When was he here? Does he hate me?" That was the main question that she wanted answering, and the one which scared her the most.

"Please Christine; believe me when I say that you need to stay here. You and Erik both need time apart to come to terms with what has happened."

Christine was starting to get annoyed. "What the hell do you mean by that?! Just answer the question, Raoul!"

She continued to glare at him, but Raoul was saved for answering by Robbie, who spoke for the first time.

"I'm going to have to go Christine." Robbie stood up. Christine stared round at him, almost as if he had forgotten that he was in the room too. She was still trying to get used to his change of appearance, when he spoke again. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright before I went back to work."

"Oh God!" Christine suddenly exclaimed. "Work! Am I fired?"

Robbie burst out laughing. "Of course you're not fired! Not sure if you'll want to work there after everything that's..."

Raoul gave Robbie a piercing glare, and he stopped talking, and turned bright red. "I should go."

He grabbed his coat, and scurried out of the door. If he was a dog, he tail would have been well and truly between his legs, such was the look of anger Raoul had given him.

"You don't need to stay here either." Said Christine. At that moment she needed to be alone, and Raoul was obviously not going to give her any answers. What on earth had happened during her coma?

"Don't be silly Christine. You can't stay here alone." Raoul said over his newspaper, which he had picked back up after Robbie had left.

Christine sighed, feeling her anger rise again. "I am perfectly fine Raoul. All I want is some dammed information!"

"There's no need to shout." Raoul folded the paper, and placed it on the table. "You were in a coma for a week, and now you have woken up. The doctor says that you will be fine after you rest and let your injuries heal."

"That's all well and good, but I would quite like to speak to the doctor myself thanks. You are not being very helpful on the information front at all at the moment."

"It's eleven at night Chris. He's gone home. Look, everything will be fine if you try to get some rest."

"Well I can't rest with you staring at me." She huffed. She couldn't understand why he was here anyway. So he had been there when she was hit by the car, that didn't mean he was responsible. "Where is my phone? I can at least try to call Erik."

"Your phone was crushed in the accident."

Christine sighed. "Can I borrow yours then, please?"

Raoul paused. "It's...run out of battery. Sorry."

Christine narrowed her eyes. Something was telling her that he was lying, but she didn't have the energy to argue with him.

"Actually, if you want to be useful you can find me some food. I'm not overly fond of the tubed variety." She wasn't hungry in the least, but she needed to be alone desperately.

"I'm not sure if you should be eating yet. You may have to stay on the drip for a few more days."

"I don't think a bag of crisps is going to kill me. Please Raoul." She begged, flashing her puppy dog eyes, which never failed her in getting what she wanted.

"Alright. I'll see what I can get." He stood up and left the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, the nurse who saw her earlier entered the room. Was there such a thing as a moment's peace in this place?

"Dr Williams can't see you tonight I'm afraid, but he'll be in first thing in the morning. You will be alright for the moment though won't you? Will your fiancé be back soon?"

"Fiancé?" Christine was confused. "Oh, Raoul's not my fiancé."

The nurse shook her head. "No not the blond one. The other one. The one who's been sat at your bedside for the past week, weeping."

"What? Erik was here?" And he had told them he was her fiancé! Christine tried to sit up, but the pain in her side forced her to slump back again.

The nurse looked amused. "Yes. I'm surprised he isn't here now actually. He hasn't left your bedside since you came in here." The nurse smiled as she went to leave the room. "You got yourself a good one there. You don't want to let him go."

So Erik had been to see her. The nurse said that he hadn't left her bedside. That must mean that he still loved her. Why hadn't Raoul told her, and why had he been so reluctant to say where he was? Was it possible that Raoul held deeper feelings for her than she originally thought, and he didn't want her to be with Erik? It was the only explanation for his strange behaviour she could think of.

After making sure that the nurse had left the room, she scrambled out of bed, yanking out the tubes fixed to her arm, and the sticky pads on her chest. It hurt, but she didn't care. She had to get out of here as soon as possible, and there was no way she was doing that with Raoul hanging around. If he came back and found her trying to escape he would be mad. It probably was a bad idea, having only recently come out of a coma, but she didn't care. She had to find Erik as soon as possible. The one problem facing her was that she had nothing to wear. Chances of her escaping the hospital and making it alive across London in a hospital nightie were slim. The only thing at hand was Raoul's long black coat, slung over his chair. Pulling it on, she pulled open the door and peered down the corridor. Praying that she would not meet Raoul along the way, she walked out of the door.

Thankfully she managed to walk down the corridors unseen by Raoul, or anyone else. She cursed when she realised it was raining outside, and it was not just a slight spitting, but a torrential downpour. She dashed for the nearest taxi cab, and scrambled inside. There was a slight panic when she realised that she had no money, but thankfully, she found that Raoul had left his wallet inside his coat pocket. She felt a little guilty, but she promised herself that she would pay him back the next time she saw him.

She gave the taxi driver Erik's address, and sat back, trying to calm her racing heart. Was she doing the right thing?Lying in a hospital bed was not going to help her. If she didn't see Erik very soon, she would go crazy, and knowing that he knew about everything from Alexia made it all the more painful. What wicked twist had that witch given everything?

"You alright love?" The taxi driver looked at her through the rear view mirror.

She gave a weak smile, but didn't reply. She was not in the mood to make small talk. She felt that if she opened her mouth she might cry, or be sick, such were her nerves at that moment. There was still a nagging doubt deep inside her that she was making a terrible mistake.

..........

Erik stood by the window in his study, staring at the storm that was raging outside. The wind and rain battered against the window, causing it to rattle against the frame, but he barely registered the sound. He felt nothing now. During the past week he had felt more pain than anyone should ever experience, and he couldn't bare it anymore. Looking back he had no idea how he had survived it.

_(Flashback)  
The phone rang and rang, and still she didn't answer. Christine never went anywhere without her phone, so it was very unusual. It clicked onto voicemail, and he hung up. There was no way he was going to leave her a message. This was not something he could say in a message. He would have to go and find Christine, and find out for himself what had happened. _

_He left the office immediately, forgetting everything other than finding Christine. He drove straight to Christine's apartment, knowing that was where she had planned to spend the day, cleaning it. He felt the fear build inside him as he drove there. If everything Alexia said was true, then Christine had no idea what he really looked like throughout their entire relationship, and now her eyes had been opened to the truth. Would she hate him now? Would she never be able to look at him again? Erik new full well what he looked like and he had spent his whole life trying to come to terms with it. There was no way that Christine could do so, especially since she had been seeing him as someone completely different. He knew he had to see her again however, no matter how hard it would be to see her inevitable look of disgust. He loved her too much to give her up without a fight. He needed to see her reaction to him, no matter how painful it would be. _

_He pulled up outside her building, but didn't get out of the car. He tried to call Christine's mobile once more, but it went straight through to answer machine without ringing. That could only mean one thing. She had turned it off. He couldn't bare it anymore, so had got out of the car, and rang Christine's bell. He stayed outside her apartment for 10 minutes, after which he had had enough. Checking to make sure that no one was around, he rammed his shoulder into the door, and it swung open. He hesitated when he reached Christine's apartment. Was he doing the right thing? If Christine actually wanted to see him, wouldn't she have answered her phone? Wouldn't she try to contact him? _

Of course she doesn't want to see you! _Said the voice at the back of his head. _Think about it. She thought you were someone completely different. She never saw the monster, and you really think that she will want to see you now, that she could still love the real you!

_He was being a huge fool, and he needed to face the truth which he had been trying to deny. It was over between him and Christine and there was nothing he could do about it. She had fallen in love with someone completely different, and that person was not him. He knew then that he couldn't see her now. He couldn't see her look of disgust. He turned to leave, giving her door one last glance. He didn't know if she was inside or not, but if she was then it meant she did not want to see him. If that was so, then he must face facts, and realise that it was over between them. _

_The scene of Erik's study later that night was one of a bomb site. Glasses and ornaments were smashed and tables and chairs lay broken on the floor. After Erik still hadn't heard anything from Christine that night, he had driven to despair. He tried calling her again, as well as anyone else who might know where she was. In the end he gave up, and resorted to becoming horrifically drunk, and destroying his study. It was obvious that Christine no longer loved him, and had left him, and Erik had never been so unsure of what to do in all his life. _

_Erik awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He lunged for it, knocking over the half empty bottle of whiskey on the table. _

"_Erik!" The voice shouted down the phone, before he could say a word. "Thank God I've found you at last. This is Raoul. It's Christine. She was in a car accident!"_

_Erik registered nothing except the words Christine and car accident. Something strong gripped his heart at that moment, and he felt like he was about to die. He knew he had lost her already, but if she died then he would too. He somehow managed to obtain the details from Raoul about where she was, and he headed off, not caring that he was still pretty drunk, and half crazed with grief over the day's events. All he knew was that he had to see Christine and make sure that she was alright. She was all that mattered now. _

_He was just about to get into the car to drive to the hospital when another car came hurtling up the driveway, and screeched to a halt next to him. _

"_Don't even think about it Erik!" Kamir leapt out of the car, and ran over to him._

"_Fuck off Kamir!" Erik shouted. "Christine has been in a car accident. I have to see her!"_

"_Erik, I know! That is why I am here." Kamir grabbed hold of Erik's arm and tried to wrestle the keys out of his grip. "Give them to me Erik. You are pissed, and there is no way you are driving there. If you do, Christine will not be the only one in the car accident!"_

"_Get off me. I have to see her. You don't understand!" Erik took a swing at Kamir, successfully punching him in the face. _

_Kamir clutched his eye, and staggered. "I understand all too well! Raoul told me everything. Now give those keys to me and get in my car. I will drive you there!"_

_Erik glared at him and threw the keys at him. "You might as well drive mine. That tin can you drive will take hours to get there."_

_Twenty minutes later, they made it to the hospital. Erik leapt out of the car, and ran towards the hospital door, followed quickly by Kamir._

"_I am here to see Christine Denton." Erik told the receptionist. "She was brought in a few hours ago after a car accident."_

"_Are you a family member?" Asked the woman._

_Erik glared at her. "No, but I have to see her..."_

"_I'm sorry, but I can't let you see her unless you are a family member."_

_Kamir quickly stepped forward when he was Erik clench his fist in anger, and start t snarl. "I am sorry." He smiled at the receptionist. He is very worried. He is her fiancé. Could you please let us through?"_

"_I believe that she's still in surgery. If you go to the fourth floor, ward 7 they will give you more information." _

_Kamir had to drag Erik along the corridor, such was his state of shock. Christine was in surgery! She must have been seriously injured if she needed an operation. _

"_Erik, come on!" Kamir pulled him into a lift. When they reached the fourth floor, they were greeted by Raoul, who was pacing along the corridor. His usually neat hair was sticking up in different directions, and he looked very pale. _

"_She's been in surgery for two hours." Raoul said, speaking to Erik. "They say that she has suffered from some internal bleeding as well as some head injuries. They said her injuries were not too bad, and that she has every chance of making a full recovery."_

_Erik merely nodded. Who was this boy, and why did he know more about his beloved's accident than he did? _

"_I have been waiting in here for the moment." He led them into a small waiting room, painted a sickly shade of pink. "Stay here while I try to find some more information."_

"_Why should I stay here? She is my girlfriend. You should stay, and I will find out what is happening!" Erik walked towards Raoul, and began shouting at him, but Kamir pulled him back. _

"_Erik, calm down. Raoul knows where to find the nurse and I think it best that you stay here. You need to sober up before you do anything."_

_Erik reluctantly agreed and sat down in one of the chairs, whilst Raoul hurried out of the room, clearly terrified. _

"_Why are they taking so long in there?" He muttered a few minutes later. "What are they doing to her? And where has that idiot got to?"_

"_Erik, sit down! These things take time." Kamir sighed. "And as for Raoul, I don't blame him if he doesn't come back, the way you talked to him."_

_Erik sat opposite him and buried his face in his hands. He had managed to sober up considerably in the past few minutes, and was now feeling even worse. If Christine died, he had no idea what he would do. Living with the knowledge that she now hated him, and never wanted to see him again was better than losing her this way. He would rather see her look of horror and disgust at seeing his face than see her lifeless and still. "What if she dies Kamir?"_

"_Erik, the nurse told Raoul that her injuries were not too bad. Dr Williams is an excellent doctor and he will fix her." _

"_How do you know that?!" Erik glared at him across the room. "You know this Doctor do you!?"_

"_No I don't, and will you please stop shouting. You are not going to help anyone by bellowing at me."_

_Erik shut up then, and continued to stare at his hands, which were shaking terribly. "I'm so afraid kamir." He whispered after an eternity of silence. I can't lose her. I just can't."_

"_You aren't going to lose her Erik. She is strong. She will pull through."_

_Erik groaned, and shook his head. "I've already lost her Kamir. She has left me. She doesn't love me anymore. She never did."_

"_If you're talking about the hypnotism then..."_

"_How did you know about that?"_

"_Raoul told me before I came to your house. It appears Christine found out just before her accident."_

_Erik said nothing. Had Christine been so horrified at the thought of him after hearing the truth that she had stepped in front of a car? Of course she wouldn't do it deliberately, but finding out that the man you thought you loved was in fact a hideous monster must have been heavy on her mind, causing her to unaware of things such as traffic._

"_She was going to leave me. I know it. I tried calling her earlier, and she didn't pick up." Erik whispered all the pain he felt clear in his voice. _

"_You don't know that." Kamir interjected. "The accident happened this morning, whilst she was having coffee with Raoul."_

"_She was having coffee with Raoul?!" This new bomb shell was more than he could take. It obviously hadn't taken her long to move on from him. Had she been seeking comfort in his arms after finding out about him? Had he told her that he would save her from the monster? Just when things could not get any worse they did. At that moment however, Erik would give anything in the world to keep Christine alive. He would give her over to Raoul, and never see her again, if only she lived. _

"_I'm sorry I hit you." Erik said after almost twenty minutes of silence. _

_Kamir chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I can't even begin to understand what you are going through. You have definitely given me a black eye though." _

_At that moment, a man wearing scrubs walked into the room, looking very tired, but happy. _

"_Hello, you must be Erik." He approached Erik, who stood up when the doctor approached him. "I am Doctor Williams, Christine's doctor. I am please to say that we successfully managed to stop her internal bleeding. She is still heavily sedated, and we don't know when she will wake up. She received some injury to her head which may cause her to be comatose for a few days. Until she wakes up, we won't know the full extent of her injuries." _

"_What do you mean? Will she be alright?" Erik asked. _

"_Like I say, we don't know. She is stable at the moment though, and her bleeding has been stopped."_

"_Can I see her?"_

"_Yes, come with me."_

_Erik followed the doctor through the corridor to a room with one bed in it. He almost broke down when he saw his beloved angel lying in the bed, covered in tubes. She looked so small and fragile, he just wanted to hold her, and make her better. Never had he felt do helpless in all his life. The doctor left the room, and Erik sat by her bed. He wanted to talk to her, to reassure her that she was going to be fine, but he had no idea what to say, let alone the fact that she most likely did not want to hear him at all. In the end he simply took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. _

"_I will always love you, Christine." He finally said, not noticing the tears running down his face. _

_He stayed with her like that for the rest of the night. It wasn't until Kamir and Raoul forced him out to get some food that he left. He couldn't eat a thing, so he returned to Christine's side for the rest of the day. There was still no change from her two days later, and Erik was steadily declining. He spent nearly all day with her, returning home for only a few hours each night to sleep. Not that he slept very much at all. He could do nothing but think about Christine, and when she would wake up. The doctor had told him that it was only a matter of time before she came out of her coma, and Erik half prayed for her to wake up, and half dreaded what would happen when she did. He wanted to be there when she woke, so he could see for himself that she was recovered, but he didn't want her to be horrified by the sight of him when she woke. All the same, he just could not leave her. _

_On the seventh day of Christine's coma, Erik felt like death. Kamir had just brought him some food, which lay forgotten on the table. He knew he must look even more hideous than usual. His hair was dishevelled, and he must have lost a lot of weight. For once he didn't care. All he cared about now was seeing his angel awake and well, no matter how much she now despised him. _

_Erik was brought out of his thoughts by a murmuring sound. Sitting up, he gasped when he was that the noise was coming from Christine. Her head was moving, and her eyes were flickering. He pressed the button by her bed which would call the nurse. Just then, Raoul and Robbie came dashing into the room. _

"_Erik, what's happening? Is she waking up?" Raoul asked._

"_I have to go." Erik ignored Raoul, gave Christine one last look before leaving the room, dodging the nurse who came in at that moment. He was the worst kind of coward and he hated himself for it, but he couldn't face her seeing him just yet. Thankfully no one except Raoul seemed to notice his leaving; they were too concerned with Christine waking up. _

Now, as he stood by the window, watching the storm raging outside, Erik knew that it was finally over between him and Christine. Now that she was awake he could relax somewhat with the knowledge that she was recovering. Tomorrow, he would enquire at the hospital, and find out how she was, but there was no way he could go back there now. She didn't want to see him, and he should accept that, no matter how hard it would be to live without her.

.............

Christine paid the taxi driver and scrambled out of the car, not noticing the pain of the gravel on her bare feet, or the still falling rain which was soaking her from head to toe. All she cared about was finding Erik and proving to him that she loved him. She was prepared for anything now. He could be the ugliest man in the world and she would not care. She loved him more than life itself, and she could not even begin to comprehend life without him. She just needed to convince him that was how she felt.

She banged on the door, and waited. Her heart was beating rapidly, and the pain was back in her head and side. For the first time she thought about what she might look like herself. No doubt she looked terrible, as well as the fact that she was wearing nothing but a hospital night gown and a coat. She wasn't left to ponder long before the door opened, and Mrs Reynolds stood there, looking very shocked to see her.

"Christine, what on earth? I thought you were in the hospital."

"I needed to see Erik. Is he in?"

Christine made a mode to get past her, but she stood in her way, her large frame blocking the doorway. "I'm sorry, but he told me not to let anyone in."

"I'm not just anyone! I'm his girlfriend."

Mrs Reynolds did not move. "I'm sorry, but you need to leave."

Christine was flabbergasted. The usually calm and collected housekeeper was behaving arctic towards her. "You don't understand. I need to see him, now!"

Mrs Reynolds appeared to think hard to herself. She sighed loudly, and stood aside. "Alright, but don't blame me if....well if you regret coming here."

Christine glared at the woman as she stalked past her. What on earth was she talking about?

She knew where he would be. The study come music room was Erik's refuge, and he spent most of his time there. She flew up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and dashed along the corridor. She reached the door to the study, took a deep breath and walked inside. She didn't see him at first, but as her eyed adjusted to the darkness of the room, she saw in stood by the window.

"Erik." She whispered.

"You shouldn't have come here Christine." He said, not turning around.

"Erik, please."

"You should have stayed in the hospital. You aren't ready to leave yet."

He was acting so cold and impersonal, Christine wanted to cry. Her heart was beating harder than ever, she was sure it was about to explode out of her chest.

"Erik, please turn around."

"As you wish."

He turned then, and Christine finally saw the face of the man she had been with for the past few weeks, and loved with all her heart.

_Yes, another cliffy. I find it very hard not to do cliff hangers. Please review!!_


	23. Chapter 23

_Thanks again for all the reviews. An extra long chapter for you today. I hope you enjoy! This story is nearly finished. So sad ): There are probably around three more chapters to go.  
_

_Also I have got myself a twitter, so if you want to check up on how I am doing with updates then you can follow me. You know how bad I can be when it comes to updating (: The link is on my profile.  
_

Christine had thought herself prepared for anything. For the past few hours she had tried to visualise what he may look like, each image worse than the last, and she knew that nothing mattered. Perhaps she had been preparing herself even during her coma. She knew it sounded strange, but she knew that he had been there with her. It felt like a half remembered dream, but she knew that he had spoken to her and held her hand during the entire week. That was love. Erik loved her as no one else ever had, and she would be the world's biggest fool if she let him go.

She had grown up a lot over the past few weeks. Perhaps it was being with Erik that had done it, or maybe deep inside she had always known that she could be a better person if she tried. Whatever the reason, she knew that she loved this man with all her heart, and that she would wish to be with him no matter what he looked like.

As he turned around and she finally saw him for the first time, she gasped. She had been so prepared for the worst that she was shocked at what she actually saw. He was the same. He was exactly the same as every time she had seen him. What she could now see was so small compared to the beauty she knew was inside him that she now could not see what the rest of the world deemed as an imperfection. If she tried to explain to someone she would not be able to do it, but to her at that moment, it all seemed to clear. The right side of his face was severely scarred, red and blotched. The skin ridged in various places, giving it an irregular texture. His hair was thinner, especially on the side of his face where he was disfigured. It was bad, there was no denying it, but if there was a single shadow of a doubt that she couldn't not accept it, it was gone in that moment. To her, he was just as beautiful as the first time she had seen him at the Piano Room. The one thing which stood out to her was his eyes. His beautiful green eyes were exactly the same as she remembered, and hadn't those always been her favourite part of him anyway.

"You're beautiful." She whispered, so quietly she wasn't sure he even heard.

"There, you have had your look at the monster. Now you can go!" Erik shouted the last word before turning back around.

"Erik, please turn around. I love y..."

"No Christine, don't say it. Don't lie to me. Not now."

"I'm not lying. Erik, I am so sorry for everything. I have seen you and I love you still."

"You didn't need to come here Christine. I understand everything that has happened, and I don't need your pity." He turned back around to face her, his eyes flashing with anger. "You don't love me Christine, and you never did."

"I do!" Christine wailed. He sounded as if he now hated her, and she didn't know what to do to convince him that her feelings had not changed. She tried to speak but her head began to spin at that moment. If truth be told she had been feeling drowsy for the past few minutes, but it was becoming worse. "I came to see you, and to tell you that it doesn't matter. You are the same to me."

Erik continued to stare at her. He looked almost hopeful, but his expression quickly changed back to one of anger. "I told you not to lie. I know what happened. Alexia told me everything. You fell in love with someone completely different. That man is not me."

"Oh Erik, of course you're the same. I am betting Alexia left out the most important part." Christine approached him, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her head and the increasing amount of black spots in front of her eyes. "I saw what was inside you, and you are so beautiful."

"Whatever you saw it was all a lie, Christine. I am sure you know that by now. Are you trying to say that this honestly doesn't bother you?" He gestured towards his face. "You can accept that I am now a monster!?" He was shouting by now, and Christine was feeling weaker with each passing moment.

He grabbed her shoulders and glared down at her. She could see that although his eyes were still furious, there were tears there. His beautiful eyes were the last thing she saw before everything went black.

Erik caught her as she fell forward into his arms. "Christine!" He hauled her up so that she was secure in his grasp and he quickly moved her over to the couch. Placing her gently down onto it he knelt by her side. What had he done? She had woken from a coma a few short hours ago, and he had shouted at her. Her injuries had healed well, but she was nowhere near ready to leave the hospital. Selfish bastard that he was, he had been more preoccupied with protecting himself that he had forgotten that she was in a fragile state. Noticing that her coat was soaked, he quickly removed it, and grabbing a throw on the other couch, covered her with it. The thick wool should help to keep her warm.

Christine's eyes began to flutter open, and she stared up at him. Erik took a deep breath. Thank God she was awake. "Erik..." She started to speak but he interrupted her.

"You fainted, Christine. You need to go back to the hospital. What were you even thinking coming here in your state?"

"I had to see you." She whispered. "Erik please, you have to believe me. I may not have seen this up until now." She reached up and brushed his face with her hand. He flinched, but she did not remove her hand. "But you have to believe me when I say it makes no difference to how I feel about you."

He smiled weakly at her, and brushed her damp hair out of her face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if what he was about to say was incredibly hard to do so. "That may be how you feel now Christine, but your feelings will change."

"No they won't"

"Christine please just listen to me." Erik realised that now was the time to tell her exactly how he felt, and to truly lay his heart on the line. "Do you have any idea how it feels to find out that someone you thought loved you wasn't seeing the real you? It is pretty awful I can tell you. Al this time Christine, I thought you loved him in spite of my face. I thought that you saw it, and wanted me anyway. Now I know that you saw someone handsome I don't think can bare it."

Christine continued to stare up at him, her brow creased in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"This whole relationship is based on a lie, and I just don't think we have a future together."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Christine sat up. "No Erik, please! I love you. What can I do to prove it to you?"

"I know you do, and you have no idea how hard this is. I think best that we don't see each other again. You must be able to see how all this changes everything." He spoke without looking at her, his voice dispassionate.

Christine was about to protest when there was a loud noise from downstairs, and the sound of voices. It sounded like Raoul had discovered her absence and worked out where she had gone.

"It changes nothing, not really. I thought you loved me." She whimpered, trying to stop the tears from falling.

"As I said, things change." He still was not looking at her as he stood up and walked across the room.

"So because of all this you don't love me anymore?"

Erik said nothing and Christine was terrified. His silence said more than any words could. He didn't love her any more, and it was over between them. She had been so preoccupied with how she would cope with everything that had happened that she hadn't considered how Erik would feel. All the time they had been together, he had thought she saw him as she did now, and she couldn't even begin to comprehend how hurt he must feel to know that she saw someone physically beautiful instead. From what she knew of Erik's past he had never had it easy, and she knew the full reason why. His own mother had abandoned him due to how he looked, and no one else had accepted him until she had come along. It all made so much sense now. That was why he loved her so much. It wasn't her he loved, only her apparent acceptance of his flaws. She could plead with him and confess her love as much as she wanted, but it would make no difference. He didn't love her anymore, and that was something she could do nothing about.

"I think your friend has arrived to take you back to the hospital. He will be angry at you I think." He would not answer her, and it terrified her. "Also, I think you should know that I don't think you have an apartment anymore. That is my fault, and I apologise. Your landlord will explain what happened. Don't worry about it though; I will pay for another apartment for you."

"I don't want your fucking money!" Christine screamed. "I want you!" She was so distraught by what was happening that she didn't even question why she no longer had an apartment, and at that moment she couldn't have cared less.

Raoul came bursting into the room at that moment, followed by Kamir. Both looked out of breath and red faced.

"Christine!" Raoul ran towards where she was still lying on the couch, feeling too drained to move. "What the hell were you thinking?! You need to bet back to the hospital now!" He turned to Erik. "And you! Why didn't you take her back immediately?" He glared at Erik, who said nothing. He merely looked at the floor, appearing not to notice anyone.

"Christine, you need to come with me. I will take you back." Raoul slid his arm around her waist and pulled her up to a standing position. "Come on." He spoke gently as he tried to manoeuvre her towards the door.

"Wait a moment." She stopped Raoul and walked towards Erik, who was now facing away from her. Her legs were still shaky but she didn't care. She had to try to talk to him one more time. "Erik." She placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned to face her. "So this is really over? You don't love me anymore?" Her eyes pleaded with him to answer her and deny what she said. Her pleas were not answered however, as he simply nodded, and turned away again. "I'm sorry Christine. This is for the best. You will realise that in time."

The tears were now falling fast down her face. There was nothing else she could do. "Goodbye Erik." She whispered. "I will always love you."

She turned back to Raoul, who held out a comforting arm to steady her shaking form. He said nothing as he led her out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house, for which she was immensely grateful.

"It's alright Christine." He said as he lowered her into the car seat. "We will get you back to the hospital and everything will be fine."

Christine couldn't answer him. Nothing was ever going to be fine ever again.

............

"What the hell just happened?" Kamir was staring at Erik, who was hunched on the couch that Christine had just vacated his head in his hands. "Why is she crying?"

"Please just leave it Kamir, now is not a good time."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what just happened. Why is Christine crying, and why are you not going with her to the hospital?"

"I said leave it!" Erik hissed.

Kamir ignored him, and sat down opposite Erik. "I am your only friend Erik, and believe it or not, but I actually care about you. Tell me what happened. Couldn't she accept it?"

Erik lifted his head to look at Kamir. "You're asking if she could accept that than man she loved turned out to be a monster."

"I didn't say that, so don't twist my words Erik."

"We are no longer together. That is what has happened. Now will you leave?"

Erik was feeling numb. He knew that if he allowed himself to feel anything at that moment he would break down. Letting Christine go was the right thing to do, even if it was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.

"I'm not leaving you like this. You are going to tell me why Christine left here in floods of tears, and I refuse to believe it was because she could not accept your face."

"Not that is any of your business, but I decided to end it. She may think that she loves me now, but soon she will realise that is not possible."

Kamir was becoming exasperated "So you hurt her now rather than risk the possibility that she may hurt you?"

"Don't try and pretend that you understand, because you don't. All this time I thought that she loved me as I am. Now I know that was all a lie. You can't even begin to comprehend how that feels."

"I know I can't, but it was hardly her fault. She had no idea what was going on, and only found out when you did." Kamir tried to reason with him, but he suspected it would be useless.

"I can tell that you won't listen to me no matter what I say." He said after a few moments. "I know you love her, and she sure as hell loves you. Now I don't know exactly what happened here tonight, but I suspect that you have been an idiot." He stood up, preparing to leave. "I have to go. I can't leave Robbie alone in the bar much longer. I will be back tomorrow. Don't argue." He said as Erik tried to speak. "I want you to think about what a downright idiot you have been, and of ways of getting Christine back."

Erik glared as his back as he left the room. Kamir had no idea what he was going through, and he had the nerve to try to tell him what to do. Perhaps he had been overly harsh on Christine, but it had been his way of protecting himself. Finding out that Christine had not been seeing the real him had been the most painful experience of his life, and he wasn't sure how he would recover from it. All his life, all he had ever wanted was to be accepted and loved for who he was, and finally with Christine he had thought that he had found someone that did that. No he knew that was not true, the bottom had dropped out of his world. Christine didn't love him, no matter how much she may protest that she did.

He had lied when he said that he didn't love her any longer. Of course he still loved her. That would never change, but how could things possibly work between them now? No, things were better this way. She would move on and forget him, and he needed to remember what he was. He couldn't be loved for himself, and it was about time he finally accepted that. Hadn't his mother told him so often enough and now she had been proved irrevocably right?

.........

Back at the hospital, Christine and Raoul were just arriving. Christine ignored the nurse and doctor who were very angry at her for leaving. She simply allowed Raoul to lead her back to the bed, and curled up into a ball. She wouldn't allow the doctor to check her over, and shooed everyone out the door. Never in all her life had she felt so devastated. She felt as if her life had ended that day, and there was nothing she could do to change it. Christine had had her fair share of heartache in her life. Almost every man she had been involved with had hurt her in some way, but nothing could come close to how she felt now. This was genuine heartbreak, and everything that had come before was small fry.

Ever since finding about the hypnotism all she could think of was her own reaction and how she would cope. She had not considered how Erik would take everything. She had been her usual selfish self and only thought of herself. It was evident now what he had never really loved her, but only the fact that she had apparently accepted him. Even though now it didn't matter one bit to her, Christine knew that it would make no difference. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that had she never been hypnotised, she would not have been able to accept Erik as he really looked. She had been shallow and self centred, and that had been why all her relationships had failed. Her whole life she had picked men just for how handsome they were, and they had always turned out to be scumbags. How ironic that she should finally see the error of her ways and become a better person due to finding the man of her dreams, and he didn't want her because of who she used to be.

...........

One week later Christine was let out of the hospital. Dr Williams had gone insane at her escape, but had told her that she wasn't badly affected by it. Her injuries had healed well during her coma and she hadn't suffered from any brain damage. The damage was all in her heart, and there was no medicine or procedure that could cure her. Raoul had insisted that she come to stay at Robbie's with him, and she had begrudgingly accepted. She had no idea what had happened to all her stuff in her old flat and at Erik's house, but she didn't care. Raoul had somehow managed to obtain most of her clothes for her, but she didn't ask how. She was grateful that she didn't have to go back to her empty flat if truth be told. She still didn't know exactly why she no longer had an apartment, but she suspected it had something to do with the argument Erik had had with her landlord. She smiled weakly as she remembered. It had been just over a week ago, but it felt like such a long time ago.

"Now, Robbie says you can stay with him for as long as you want." Raoul said to her as he drove the car away from the hospital. "He only has a two bedroom place so I'm going to head off back home."

"Don't feel as if you have to leave because of me." Said Christine.

"I need to go anyway. I have a lot of work, and I've stayed a lot longer than I meant to." Raoul pulled up outside a tall terraced row of houses. "Now, are you going to be alright? I'd hate to leave you if you're feeling awful."

Awful did not even begin to describe how she was feeling. There was nothing that Raoul could do to help her though, so she smiled at him reassuringly. "I'll be alright. Don't worry about me."

He helped her out of the car and up the steps to the front door. Frankly she couldn't wait until he left. For the past week he had always been there, coddling her and fussing over the smallest tings, and it was starting to annoy her. He was only trying to help her, but Christine knew that nothing he or anyone else did could do that. It did not make matters any better that he was the one who had made her realise what a horrid person she used to be, and the truth about her feelings for Erik. His presence was a constant reminder of all the mistakes she had ever made.

Robbie greeted them at the door, smiling brightly at her. "Christine, come on in."

Robbie's flat had a strong air of cleaning product with an underlying smell of dirt. It was plainly clear that he had attempted to clean it before her arrival with questionable ability.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay here, Robbie. I really appreciate it." Christine said as she dumped her bag on a couch. "I promise I will be out of here as soon as possible."

"You can stay here as long as you want."

"Right, I'm ready to go." Raoul grabbed a large wheelie suitcase by the door. "Sorry to dash off so quickly but I need to be getting back home. Now are you sure you are going to be alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"I wasn't talking to you, Robbie."

Christine managed to muster up a small laugh. "I'll be fine Raoul. Thanks for everything. You've been very kind to me."

"Think nothing of it. Now you look after her, Rob. Make sure she doesn't get up to any mischief." He was joking, but Christine knew there was an element of truth in his words. He had nothing to fear thought. She wouldn't try to chase after Erik again. He gave Christine a quick hug and left the flat.

After Raoul was gone, Robbie made Christine a cup of tea and helped her move into the spare room. He was being very sweet, but Christine couldn't help but feel that he was being wary of her. It seemed that Raoul had told him that she was unhinged, and might explode or breakdown at any moment. He seemed to be skirting around her for the rest of the day, not mentioning anything at all to do with Erik or the hospital escape. For this she was immensely grateful, but she wished he would stop treating her as if she was a recently unplugged grenade.

Later that evening, Christine was grateful when he went to work. He didn't ask if or when she would return to work herself, which she was sure he was aching to ask. She didn't indulge him however, and simply grunted a goodbye from where she was curled up on the sofa watching a soap opera. She would have to return at some point. It was her only job now after all, but her pride would not let her go back there. If she was ever going to get over Erik she needed to work somewhere that _he _didn't own. For the moment however, there was no way she was going to be able to go anywhere. The only men in her life she needed were the two named Ben and Jerry, of which whose ice cream she had just eaten an entire tub of.

Christine ended up lying on the couch all evening. The Ben and Jerry's was followed by a huge chocolate bar and a gigantic bag of crisps. The food did nothing to fill the empty void in her heart however, and she ended up working herself into a state watching a romantic movie on the television. When Robbie eventually arrived back home, it was to find her still curled up on the couch, tears flowing down her cheeks, and a mess of empty packets on the floor around her.

"Christine! Oh my God, are you alright?" Robbie crouched down towards her. "What's happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Christine sniffed loudly. "This film always makes me cry." She gestured towards the television, where the happily ever after was playing out.

Raoul cleared away some of the papers from the couch and sat down. "Are you sure it's the film? You can always talk to me if you want."

Christine smiled waterily at him. "Thanks Robbie, you're really sweet. There's nothing you can do though. I'll sort myself out soon, and I'll be back to work. Before you know it I'll be out of your hair and you won't have to deal with an emotional woman on your sofa."

Robbie laughed. "Are you kidding? I love having you here. You're the hottest roommate I've ever had. My friends are all pretty jealous of me."

"Oh shut up." Christine punched him on the arm. "Stop trying to flatter me. It will get you nowhere."

"You know it's the truth, now I think it's time you went to bed."

Christine begrudgingly agreed, and hauled herself off the sofa to go to bed. She had barely had a wink of sleep for the past week in the hospital, and she was sure tonight would be no different. She kept thinking about Erik, and no matter what she did, nothing couch take her mind off him. How was he? Was he feeling just as bad as she was, or had he managed to move on from her already?

..........

The following day, Christine woke after a fitful night's sleep to the sound of Robbie singing terribly. She groaned and buried her head back under the duvet. The clock chimed eleven o'clock, but it was far too early to face the world. She wasn't given much option however, as Robbie banged on her door.

"Come on lazybones, get up!" He shouted. "You can't stay in bed all day! Besides, you've got a visitor!"

Christine leapt up, and almost fell out of bed, due to her feet getting tangled in the bed sheets. Could Erik possibly have come to find her? Had he realised that he did still in fact love her, and was here to take her home? Her hopes were quickly dashed however, as a familiar voice rang through her ears.

"Christine, my darling!" The door banged open, and there in the doorway stood the last person Christine ever wanted to see. Her brown hair styled in its usual large complicated up do, her coloured bangles and necklaces jangling loudly and her fur coat taking up almost the whole door, she made an arresting image to say the least. "Do you have any idea how long I have been looking for you?"

"Mother, what in the name of all that is holy are _you_ doing here?" Christine groaned.

"How many times do I have to tell you darling, don't call me that. It makes me sound old." Gloria Denton gushed as she sashayed into the room, and deposited herself on the end of the bed. "Now what do you think you have been doing? I have been looking for you for weeks!"

"I've been a little busy Gloria, as you can probably tell." Christine stood up, and began to move towards the door.

"Don't walk away from me young lady. You are going to sit back down and tell me what has been going on? I went to your apartment last week and was greeted by a lovely American couple. They said that you had moved out the previous week." Gloria moved to stand in the doorway, blocking Christine's way. "I have to say I am a little annoyed that you wouldn't mention that you had moved to your own mother."

"That's funny _Gloria, _but I thought that was a role you didn't want to play!"

"Christine Denton, do not take that tone with me. I am still your mother; I just don't like being called that. It makes me feel middle aged."

"I hate to break it to you, but you are middle aged!"

"You're behaving like a spoiled brat! I am only here to make sure that you are doing alright. I was very worried about you until I eventually ran into that lovely young man Raoul Channing outside your flat. And it's a good job I did. I would never have found you otherwise."

"Well what a crying shame that would have been!" Christine yelled.

With that she turned back around and went right back to bed, pulling the duvet over her head. "Go away!" She shouted, the sound muffled by the covers.

She heard the door slam, indicating that Gloria had left, and she took a deep breath out. Just when she thought things could not possibly get any worse, her mother had to arrive and prove her wrong. Their relationship had always been troubled. People had said that it was because they were so similar, but Christine would never admit to being like Gloria. Loud and ballsy, Gloria was often infuriatingly annoying. In school, Christine's friends had loved her, often saying how lucky she was, having a mother who was young and allowed her to drink alcohol and have house parties. Christine had not felt the same. All she had ever really wanted was a mother. Someone who was there for her, and who brought some structure to her life. Gloria had rarely been there for her, always off with the latest man in her life, leaving Christine at home alone. Frankly, Christine had preferred it that way. When she was around they had done nothing but argue. Nothing had changed over the years, and they rarely saw each other, much to the relief of Christine.

Around half an hour later, Christine deemed it safe to emerge. Gloria would never hang around for long, and would hopefully be long gone by now. However, luck it appeared was still not on her side. As she stepped into the living room, she was greeted by the back of her mother's head, as she drank coffee.

She took a deep breath and walked into the room. "I thought you would have gone by now."

Gloria turned around and smiled at her. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what has happened. You are my daughter and I love you. Now sit down and talk to me." Gloria pulled out a chair and indicated for Christine to sit down. "That young man who was here had to leave. I think he knew we needed t talk."

Christine sat, and crossed her legs away from her mother. "Where is Dennis? I remember you saying something on the phone about visiting with him. I'm sorry but I forgot all about it."

Gloria grimaced. "We got divorced."

"But you've been married for a month!"

"I know, but it just wasn't working. He kept leaving the toilet seat up. I mean enough is enough."

Christine sighed in exasperation. "Look Gloria, I don't have time for your problems. I have enough of my own at the moment."

"I know, and that is why I am here. I hear you have been having a few man problems yourself?"

"So Raoul and Robbie filled in about what a disaster I have made of my life? I don't think there is anything else you need to know."

"They told me nothing accept that you just had a bad breakup. Look Christine, I know I'm not the best mother in the world." Christine snorted with laughter, but Gloria carried on talking, "and I'm hardly fit to give you advice on men given my track record, but you can talk to me if you want to."

Christine stared at her for a long time. It would certainly feel good to talk to someone about all that had happened, even though there was nothing she could ever do to help.

Christine told her everything. She told her about meeting Erik, and how she had fallen desperately in love with him almost from that very moment. She told her about the hypnotism, and her car accident, and lastly about how Erik had left her, saying that he no longer lover her. By the end she was in floods of tears, and she had moved closer to her mother, and they were hugging, something that she never remembered doing with Gloria. As strange as it felt, it also felt rather good. She was finally able to open up to her mother as she had never been able to do before.

"...so it's over now. He doesn't love me anymore, and there's nothing I can do about it." Christine wailed.

"Oh Christine, this is all my fault." Gloria leaned back from Christine, and she saw that she was also crying.

"What do you mean? How can it possibly be your fault?"

"Not directly, but it is my fault that it happened. If I'd only been a better mother do you when you were younger you'd have never got in this mess." Gloria wiped at her eyes with a tissue. "No wonder you have had such terrible relationships."

"Don't blame yourself. If it's anyone's fault it's mine for being such a shallow bitch in the first place. I have made all my relationships fail because of who I was, and the way I picked men."

"That's what I'm trying to say. If you're not careful you'll make the same mistakes that I did. I've been married seven times and never found anyone who could match up to your father. You wonder why I never talked about him; it is because it is so dammed hard. I loved him more than anyone else in the world, and when he died I felt as if my world had ended."

Christine stated at her, shocked. Gloria had never talked about her father like this, and Christine had often wondered whether she had forgotten about him. Was it possible that she had hidden depths that she had just never seen before?

"Ever since then I have been trying to find someone who will make me feel like he did, and I never have. I guess I sometimes forgot that I had a daughter. I am so sorry Christine."

Christine sniffed loudly. "That's okay. It can't possibly be all your fault. I have made some pretty bad mistakes of my own in my life."

"Perhaps, but I can't have helped. The last thing I want is for you to end up like me."

Christine giggled. "I thought you loved your life. One big party you always used to say."

"Well I guess even I managed to get too old for it eventually. That's why it would never have worked with Dennis. He was almost 10 years younger than me. Sometimes I just felt so old."

"You're not old, Gloria."

"You're very sweet, but I know I'm not young anymore. I blew all m chances at happiness and the last thing I want is for you to do the same. Now if this Erik doesn't love you then he isn't worth it. What you need is a night out to forget. What say you and me go clubbing tonight?"

"Gloria! I hardly think that is going to help matters. Besides, I thought you said you were too old for partying."

"That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the odd night out. And you need cheering up."

"Thanks for the offer, but I really don't feel like it. I just want to watch telly tonight and there's another tub of ice cream in the freezer just begging to be eaten."

Gloria stared at her, horrified. "You'd rather watch television than have a night on the tiles? I don't think so. You're coming out, and that's final."

............

"I am sick of your moping around! Either get up now, or I will get you up myself!" Kamir said angrily as he marched into Erik's room.

"Go away!" Came the muffled response from deep under the covers.

"You have another hangover don't you? Well that's too bad. Come on get up!" He yanked the duvet up, but Erik managed to grab it back.

"If you know what's good for you, you will leave right now." Erik groaned.

"I think by now we have proved that I have no idea what's good for me. It's one o'clock in the afternoon. You have to get up."

"Well if you leave then I will be able to get up."

"I am giving you ten minutes. If you're not up by then, then I will be up here with the hose pipe." Kamir left the room, and Erik groaned and turned over. His head was throbbing painfully, and he felt like he could throw up. He had drunk way too much last night, and it had done nothing to ease the pain of losing Christine. He kept replaying what had happened over and over, and every time he felt more of an idiot. He had ruined everything between them because of his stupid pride. Finally he dragged himself out of bed and showered. Ten minutes later he arrived downstairs to find Kamir sat at his kitchen table, drinking coffee, and reading a newspaper.

"Good, you're up." he smiled. "Now I've been thinking." He gestured for Erik to sit in the empty seat.

"Always a bad sign." Erik muttered darkly.

Ignoring him, Kamir continued. "I think it about time you did something about this Christine situation."

"I told you, it's over. I have blown it with her. She will never take me back now."

"That's the attitude. Give up before you've even started." Kamir threw the paper down on the table. "Perhaps I'm being crazy but I thought you loved her."

"I do, but she thinks I don't. I screwed up big time, and it's all my fault."

"Exactly! You have been a class A arse. You let one tiny bit of hypnotism ruin the best thing that ever happened to you, and it's your fault you're not with Christine anymore."

"I do hope you have a point with this, or you'll end up looking worse than I do." Erik glared at him, his eyes flashing menacingly.

"What I am trying to say is that you are the one who has to do something. Christine thinks you don't love her anymore, and I am willing to bet you anything that she is on just as bad a state as you are now."

Erik said nothing. His mind was in turmoil. Could Christine be feeling the same about their breakup as he was? At the time he had thought she would move on very quickly. Someone as beautiful as her could have anyone she wanted, so why would she miss him in the slightest. He was sure that Christine had been lying when she said that she still loved him, or that she was now feeling nothing but pity for him, but now he was beginning to doubt himself. Was it possible that he had made a monumental error? Could Christine really have loved him for who he was, and she really didn't care what he looked like?

"So what are you going to do then?"

Erik made the decision then and there. He would do everything in his power to win Christine back. No matter what it took, he would prove that he loved her, and he needed her with him. He could only pray that he wasn't too late, and that she hadn't already moved on from him.

..................

Later that evening, Christine reluctantly found herself dressed up ready to go out with Gloria. Christine had never been a huge party girl, which was surprising considering who her mother was. Tonight she was feeling even less in the party mood. Curling up in a ball, and dying seemed like a much better plan of action at the moment. The last thing she wanted was to go dancing with a load of sleazy men whose sole purpose in life was to get laid tonight.

Gloria was already on the wine and dancing around Robbie's flat to loud music. "Come on Christine. Have some wine, and get in the spirit. You will never pull with a face like that."

"I don't want to pull, Gloria. The only man I want in Erik, and since I can't have him I will never see another man again!"

"That's a bit dramatic, darling. When you get out you will see that there are a million other men out there for you."

Christine refused to answer. It appeared that Gloria would never understand how she was feeling, so there was no use trying to explain. She grabbed the bottle of wine and poured herself a huge glass. If she was going to get through this night at all, alcohol was a necessity.

"Now I thought we could go to a few bars first, and then end up at a club. What do you think?"

"Whatever you want, I really don't care."

"This night is for you, Christine. Where do you want to go?"

"I've already told you I don't want to go out. Where I want to go is that sofa." She pointed towards the sofa.

"Don't be ridiculous. You will have fun once you get out, now drink your wine, and then we'll get going."

Christine drained off the rest of her wine, and grabbed her coat. "I'm ready. Let's get this over with."

Gloria rolled her eyes at her daughter, and ushered her out of the door.

..........

Erik was terrified. This was the last chance he had of winning back Christine. Kamir had managed to convince him that this was the best thing to do, and he had agreed. So here he was, outside Robbie's apartment, still sitting in his car. If this didn't work then nothing would. He had to go in there and basically lay his heart out to her. It was the only way he could convince her that he still loved her.

After summoning up enough courage, he got out of the car, and knocked on the door. A few moments later the door opened and Robbie stood there looking very surprised at seeing him. "Erik, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to see Christine. Is she in?"

"No. Her mother arrived this morning and they've gone out for the night. I don't know when they'll be back, but you can come in and wait if you want."

"Do you know where they've gone?"

"I'm sorry, no. They were going to a few bars first and then to one of the bigger clubs. They left a few minutes ago. They could be anywhere as far as I know."

Erik thanked Robbie and turned back to his car. This was not something he had counted on. Kamir had insisted that Christine would be in just as bad a state as he was, and would be at Robbie's flat, annoying him just as much as he was annoying him. Well, it was plainly clear that she wasn't, if she was able to go out with her mother. Even at that moment she could be getting over him with some other man. The thought of it was more than he could bear. Christine was his, and the sooner he found her and made her see that the better. The problem was that he had no idea where she was. The only place he could think where she might go was the Piano Room, but why would she be there? Still, it was the only place he could think of, and it was better than sitting here going insane thinking of her out with hundreds of horny men.

.......

"I have an idea." Gloria said in the taxi. "Why don't you show me where you work? It sounds like a lovely place."

"I don't know. I'm not sure I can face going back there yet. _He _owns that place, and if I go there then Kamir will ask when I'm coming back. I honestly don't think I can go back there at all. Anyway, I thought you wanted me to forget about Erik. Going there isn't going to do that"

"Don't be silly. He will be perfectly understanding, and going there is the perfect way to get over him. You will see that when you get there." Gloria pouted, and Christine gave in. She hadn't seen kamir since that fateful night at Erik's house, and perhaps he could tell her how Erik was doing.

_No! _She shouted at herself. She shouldn't care how he was doing. That was not the way to move on in the slightest. Perhaps going back there wouldn't be that bad. It might even be a step in the right direction to going back to work and moving on.

As she walked down the steps to the Piano Room a few minutes later she knew she had been wrong. Coming here was a bad idea. Everywhere she looked she was reminded of Erik. The whole layout reminded her of him, and she saw him everywhere she looked. She remembered the first time she had met him, and she had been bowled over at how gorgeous he was. Back then she had been shallow, and all she had thought of was how handsome he was. She had grown a lot in the past few weeks, and she would give anything to go back and change what had happened, knowing all along what he really looked like.

Gloria didn't seem to notice Christine's apprehension and waltzed off in the direction of the bar, leaving Christine stood waiting for her. Not wanting to attract attention to herself, she hung back in the corner, not noticing that someone was already stood there.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see... Erik!"

"I hoped you'd be here." Erik looked down at her shocked face, his heat close to explosion. When he had seen her enter the bar he had been both relieved and terrified. Not wanting her to see him, he had moved into the corner. She had somehow managed to find him however, and now he had no choice but to do what he had come here to do.

Moving them slightly more into the open, he started to speak."Christine, I need to speak with you."

"I thought you said everything last week." Christine muttered, trying to walk away from him.

"Wait, please." He reached out and pulled her back towards him. "I have been such an idiot. I love you Christine. Everything I said before was a lie. I was so scared that you would leave me that I left you instead." His eyes pleaded with her, and Christine found herself melting. She wanted to be angry with him, and shout that he had no right to come back after what had happened, but she couldn't do it. "Can you ever forgive me Christine?"

"Only if you can forgive me, and get it into your head that I love you as you are, and that it will never change." Christine was crying now, the tears running down her cheeks in twin rivers. Was this real, or had she fallen asleep and having the most wonderful dream imaginable?

"Of course I do." Said Erik. It was now or never, he thought. He had to ask her or he would never sum up the courage again. He fell to one knee in front of her, and retrieved the ring he had in his pocket, not caring in the slightest that everyone in the bar was now staring at them in shocked silence."Christine, will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes! Oh my God yes!" Christine screamed before throwing herself into his arms, and covering him in kisses.

_That wasn't a cliff hanger! I could have ended this chapter long ago, so I deserve lots of reviews for that surely? (: I believe the next chapter will be very fluffy! _


	24. Chapter 24

_Well this is it. This is the last chapter. I might write an epilogue if I get enough reviews!_

As soon as she had said yes, the entire bar erupted into applause. Christine's sudden flying into his arms had caused Erik to almost fall over, but he managed to right himself before he and Christine made an even bigger scene. He was completely bowled over by Christine's reaction. He had expected her to be hesitant, even reluctant. He had been prepared to beg her to marry him, and had been ready to wait for her answer. This was completely unexpected, yet wonderful all the same.

"Christine, you haven't seen your ring yet." Erik laughed into Christine's hair. She extracted herself from his arms, and looked at him, tears running down her face. Erik slipped the stunning yellow diamond ring on her trembling finger, and helped her to stand up.

"Oh Erik, It's beautiful." Christine gazed at the ring on her finger. She had no idea whether it was the alcohol or her jubilant happiness, but she felt suddenly dizzy.

"How much have you drunk, Christine?" Erik asked, steadying her.

"Just two glasses of wine." She said leaning into him. "God I love you." She murmured, kissing his jaw.

"Christine, I am so sorry about everything. I was so afraid of losing you..." Christine placed her finger against his lips, silencing him.

"Hush." She said. "Now I will admit to still being furious with you for being such an idiot, but as long as you make it up to me later, I'm sure I will be fine."

Erik could not believe what was happening. Just a few minutes ago he thought his life was over, and now every dream he had ever had was coming true.

"Do you want to get out of here?" He asked her.

"I think you read my mind." Christine beamed, giving him a slow and very suggestive kiss.

They were just about to slip out of the door, trying to remain unnoticed, when a high pitched squeal stopped them in their tracks.

"Christine, you were not just about to walk out and leave me were you?" Gloria waltzed over towards them from where she had been talking to Kamir. "At least introduce me to your fiancé."

Christine groaned. This was what she had been trying desperately to avoid. She wasn't entirely sure how well Erik and Gloria would get on, and now was not the best time to test it out. She and Erik needed to sort out many of their own issues first before her mother tried to ruin everything.

"Erik, this is Gloria, my mother. Gloria, this is Erik."

"I do hope you've done a lot of grovelling for what you did." Gloria rounded on Erik before he could say a word. "Christine has been in a real state I can tell you. What did you mean by leaving my daughter like that?"Gloria glared at him. "Well, come on. I want to hear an answer."

"Gloria, please!" Christine hissed at her mother, turning swiftly bright red with embarrassment. "We've sorted everything out."

Gloria narrowed her eyes. "So you are going to forgive him, just like that." She snapped her fingers.

Christine glared at Gloria, who was still staring daggers at Erik. "What I do or do not do is none of your business. Come on Erik, let's go."

"Wait just one minute." Gloria held out an arm to stop her from moving. "You." She pointed at Erik. "Do you love my daughter?"

Christine wished that a hole would open up and suck her into it, preferably bringing Erik too, and leaving her horror of a mother above ground. Erik however appeared unfazed by her tirade, and if anything looked mildly amused. "I love Christine with all my heart, Mrs Denton. You have nothing to fear there."

Gloria looked slightly happier. "Well I suppose that will have to do for now." She turned to look at Christine and winked. "I take it you won't be back to the flat tonight?"

Christine simply shook her head, not trusting herself to say anything, such was her mortification. She tugged on Erik's arm, and they finally were able to make an escape.

"I am so sorry about her, Erik."

"I liked her." Erik smiled at Christine as they got into his car.

Christine frowned at him. "She's a nightmare!"

Gloria's reaction to him had surprised and pleased Erik. Not once had she mentioned that her daughter marrying someone that looked like him would be a problem. She was more concerned with how he had hurt Christine with his idiotic actions of the previous week. This he decided was a much preferred reason for her to hate him than how he looked.

"She's not that bad. You met my mother, remember. She is the definition of a nightmare. Where is she staying tonight?"

"I don't know, and after that I don't care. Knowing her she will find a willing man to put her up for the night."

Christine burst out laughing at the look on Erik's face. "She has just got divorced from husband number seven. I think she wants to celebrate."

Erik raised his eyebrows. "Seven? Well I do hope daughter is not like mother in that respect. I would prefer you stick to just the one husband, thank you."

"You have no problem there. You are the only man I have ever, or will ever love." Christine ran her hand along his leg as she spoke.

Erik wanted nothing more than to stop the car at that instant and drag her over to him to kiss her senseless, but seeing as they were driving through some very fast moving traffic it wouldn't have been a very good idea.

"I would stop doing that if I were you. You don't want to be in another car accident do you?"

Christine smiled. "You were there with me the whole time weren't you? In the hospital. The nurse told me." She said at his confused look. "I wish you had just stayed then, and we wouldn't have gone through all this."

"So do I." He said. "When I heard about what happened I nearly died. Promise me you won't do anything so foolish ever again. I wouldn't survive a second time."

"I didn't do it on purpose, Erik. I was on my way to find you actually. I had to tell you that I loved you and that no matter what you looked like I would always feel that way."

"Well I know that now, but at the time I thought you had left me." Erik said as they pulled up outside his house.

"Oh Erik, I will never leave you." She leaned over to kiss him.

"Come on. This car is nowhere near big enough for me to do what I want to do with you." Erik grinned at her before opening the door and getting out. Christine quickly scrambled out of her door, and followed Erik into the house.

............

Many hours later, Erik and Christine lay in bed, their bodies entwined together, and completely sated after hours of blissful pleasure. Christine had set it upon herself to convince him over and over again just how much she loved and desired him, and that nothing between them had changed in the slightest, and she was fairly confident that she had done just that.

"I love you." She murmured, kissing him once more before snuggling against his chest. It seemed like such a long time since they had been together, and Christine was revelling in the bliss of being in his arms once again.

"I love you, too." He replied, brushing her hair away from where it had fallen into her face.

They lay in silence for awhile, simply enjoying being together after what felt like an unbearably long separation. Eventually Christine let out a small laugh.

"I remember what I wanted to ask you." She giggled. "What on earth did you say to my landlord to get me evicted?"

He turned to look at her, her face creased into a mock frown which was ruined by her laughter. "I meant to tell you so many times, but I kept losing the nerve." He admitted, looking sheepish. "I hated that place, and I wanted you to move in here with me."

"You know you could have just asked me instead of telling him I would be out by the end of the month. I would have much preferred it that way. So what did you say to him?"

"He was rude so I did not think he deserved paying for the rent. I am sorry Christine, but I acted on anger."

Christine giggled. "That's alright. It's all worked out alright. At least now I don't have to pay my final month's rent, and I can move straight in here with you." She beamed up at him.

"Well you would have done that anyway. You think I would have had it any other way? You are my fiancé now after all, and you belong here with me."

"Yes it's all rather a moot point now, isn't it." She giggled. "You still should have asked me though."

"I wanted to ask you, but I suppose I was afraid you would say no, and then it would have been over between us."

"Oh Erik, of course I wanted to live with you. After all, you do live in a mansion in Mayfair." She said laughing. "I'm joking. I would want to live with you anywhere."

"Yes, but that was before you knew about....well before you saw my face." He trailed off, looking anxious once more.

"Erik, I have told you. I don't care. You are just as handsome to me now as you were when I first met you. Nothing about you has changed. At least nothing that matters in the slightest." She kissed his disfigured cheek again to prove her point.

"I'm sorry Christine. I know you love me, really I do. It was just hard for me to believe. Especially after...well let's just say I have not had a very successful dating history."

Christine frowned. She wanted to smack whoever had hurt her Erik in the past. Something told her that there was one specific woman who had hurt him rather than a few. "Who was she?" She asked, not wanting him to brood too much.

Erik paused for a long while before speaking. "Her name was Annabelle. I met her at school. She was very beautiful, and I was bewildered when she seemed to take an interest in me. She made it clear that she did like me though, so I asked her out on a date."

Christine did not like where this story was going, and she was feeling jealous of this Annabelle, and she already hated her just for the fact that Erik had thought her beautiful. "What happened, Erik? Don't tell me she never showed up?" Erik seemed to not want to continue so she urged him to carry on.

He laughed mirthlessly. "Oh she showed up alright." He closed his eyes, as he remembered the past pain. "Bringing all her friends with her, and her boyfriend. It had all been a bet you see. One of her friends had bet that she wouldn't dare me seen with me in public, or something to that effect."

Christine felt like shouting something along the lines of "What a bitch!", but she knew that this must be hard for him to talk about, so she let him continue talking.

"She ended up losing the bet. Halfway through the "date" she broke down. She told me it had all been a bet, and that she never liked me at all. Her boyfriend then came out of his hiding place and took her away. Not before beating me up first. I never went out with anyone else again. Not until I met you that is."

Christine didn't know what to say. She no longer felt angry so much as agonised. Her poor, poor Erik. She knew there was nothing she could say to him to make him feel any better about something that happened so long ago, so she merely traced her hands along his arm, and murmured, "well he must have been huge to have been able to beat _you_ up."

To her surprise he started laughing. "I wasn't this muscled back then. I was rather weedy actually. It was after that when I decided to become better able to defend myself. I never lost another fight after that."

"You need to forget about what that _woman _did to you." Christine said the word "woman" as if she wanted to use something else much more derogatory. "She is even shallower than I was. She isn't worth it."

"I know." Erik smiled, leaning around to kiss her passionately. "She hasn't bothered me for a long time, and even less so since I met you. I love you so much Christine."

"I love you too. My dating track record has not been great either. Every man I have been with has hurt me in some way. Before you I was with a guy who I caught in bed with another woman."

Erik looked shocked. "They are all idiots to let someone like you get away." Erik said as he nuzzled her neck, sending shivers of desire up her spine, and deep in her stomach. "I know I hurt you too Christine, but I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you, and I swear I will never let you go again."

All Christine could do was moan in reply as he turned her onto her back and began to make love to her yet again.

...........

The sound of a ringing phone woke them the next morning. Christine groaned and buried her head further into Erik, trying to block out the sound. Erik reached groggily towards the phone, and picked it up.

"Hello." He croaked.

XXXX

"Yes, we're fine. She's asleep at the moment."

XXXX

"Alright, I'll tell her you called. Where did you stay?"

XXXX

"I...did you?" Erik stammered, sounding amused. Christine turned to look at him, frowning. "Is he there?"

XXXX

"Well when he gets out of the shower tell him to call me." Erik was now laughing, and Christine was mouthing "What?" at him frantically.

XXXX

"Alright Mrs Denton, we will do that. We will see you at 12 then."

Erik put the phone down and settled back into the bed, ignoring Christine who was staring at him, looking horrified. "Please tell me that was not my mother? And who is in the shower?"

"It would appear that your mother and Kamir had a lot of fun last night, culminating in them spending the night together." Erik laughed at Christine's expression of disgusted horror.

"They did what?! I have never been so embarrassed in all my life." Christine buried her face under the covers. "I don't think I can bear to see that woman again, or Kamir!"

"Well I'm not sure that is going to happen, seeing as we are off there later today."

Christine sat up, the pillow she had pulled over her head flying onto the floor. "What! Oh no we are not!"

"I don't think we have much choice. She basically told us to go over. It was Kamir's idea apparently." He shrugged.

"We don't have to go." She leaned over and kissed him, running her hands along his chest. "We could just stay here. After all, we do have a lot of catching up to do." She grinned sexily.

"As wonderful an idea as that sounds, I think I should try and make a good impression on my fiancé's mother."

"She just slept with your best friend. I don't think good impressions are a big issue for her."

Erik laughed and kissed her lips. She growled and nipped him with her teeth.

"I couldn't exactly refuse. What would I have said? We want to spend the day in bed, making passionate love all day long." He grinned.

"Well perhaps not those exact words, but you could have said we still needed to talk."

"I'm sorry my love. She didn't exactly give us much choice. I expect she wants to tell you all about her night with Kamir." He laughed, and ducked as Christine threw a pillow at his head.

"Ugh, I can't believe her. She's 45 years old for Christ's sake! How old is Kamir anyway? He must be about 10 years younger than her."

"She's 45?!" Erik exclaimed. "She looks good for 45. I would say she looks about 30."

Christine glared at him, menacingly. "If you want to stay in my good books you will stop talking now."

"Well if a woman's mother is any indicator of what she will look like at that age then I would say I am very lucky." He laughed, ducking again as Christine threw the last of the pillows at his head. "Anyway, Kamir is 42 so that's only a three year gap. Not so big at all."

"That is totally beside the point! Gloria is terrible when it comes to this sort of thing. I just hope to God that they don't get married."

For the rest of the morning they forgot all about the antics of Gloria and Kamir. The bliss did not last as long as Christine hoped however, as soon enough they were on their way to Kamir's house on the other side of the city.

"Are you talking to me?" Erik glanced across at a very grumpy looking Christine.

"I just don't know how we got dragged into doing this. Just when I thought everything was perfect."

"We won't stay for long. Gloria just wants to make sure you are alright, and then we will go back home to bed." He smiled at her and winked.

Of course this plan never came to fruition. Somehow, Kamir persuaded them into staying for lunch. For Christine it was excruciating. Gloria and Kamir were kissing at the table, and she wanted to be sick. She excused herself and left the room as quickly as she could.

She was sat on the stairs in the hallway when Erik followed her out of the room.

"Are you alright?" He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her.

"I just don't know why she does this." She leaned her head against Erik's shoulder. "No doubt she will think he is the one, and next week they will break up, and I will be the one to pick up the pieces."

"Well no matter what happens you have me now, and I am here to pick up your pieces." He kissed her head. "Do you want to go home now?"

She smiled up at him. "That is the best idea you have ever had."

They snuck out of the back door, without saying anything. Any worries about being rude were quickly dispersed at the sound of moans coming from the dining room.

"Please Erik, hurry up!" Christine ushered him towards the door as fast as she could.

........

The next few weeks passed by so quickly that Christine could have sworn time was actually speeding up. Of course didn't people always say that time goes by faster when you are having fun. Fun didn't quite describe it though. Delirious happiness would have been a much better expression to use. Christine had officially moved into Erik's house, and they were planning their wedding. Neither of them wanted a large ceremony, and so they decided to only invite close family and friends.

The week before the wedding Erik and Christine went back to _Le Trache de Ciele, _where a delighted Maria plied them with enough free food and alcohol to sink a battleship.

After the meal, Erik went to speak to Maria, while Christine visited the bathroom.

"Ah Erik my boy, I can't believe you are actually getting married. You can't know how happy I am for you." Maria gushed. She wanted to hug him, but Erik never allowed such a thing. Even as a child he had hated physical contact and he had never allowed her to hug him. "She is a lovely girl, and I think she will make a brilliant mother."

"Maria, we aren't even married yet." Erik said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Yes well you can't plan these things, my dear."

Erik decided against contradicting her. Maria was a devoted catholic, and would be far less than pleased if she knew that not only had he and Christine already been together but used contraception as well.

"I wanted to ask you something about the wedding. You heard about what happened with my mother. Naturally she is not invited, and I was hoping you might want attend in that role. I mean you were always there for me as a child, and you have been much more of a mum to me than she ever was." He frowned when he finished speaking. It sounded like he was making a business deal.

At these words Maria forgot all about the no hugs rule, and dragged him into her arms, wailing. "Oh Erik, nothing would make me happier. I would be honoured!"

Erik tried his best to unlock her arms, but she was not budging. Eventually she let me free, but not before kissing him on the cheek, and then crying again. That was when Christine joined them, looking concerned at the weeping Maria.

After many more hugs, both for Erik, and for Christine, they finally were able to leave the restaurant and the emotional Maria for home.

..........

Finally after more preparation than they ever thought possible for such a small ceremony, the wedding day arrived. Erik could not tare his eyes off the sight of his beautiful bride, floating towards him in a dress that made her look like an angel. He still could not believe that he had managed to acquire such a beautiful wife, and that she actually loved him.

Christine could not have stopped smiling if she had tried. Surely it was illegal to be this happy. Life after all had never turned out this good for anyone else as far as she knew. As she walked down the aisle to Erik she thought he looked more handsome on this day than she had ever seen him before. She barely even registered anyone else inside the church, but she knew who was there. Kamir was acting as best man, Gloria winking at him from the front pew. Much to Christine's dismay they had formed quite a bond, and she couldn't see them breaking up any time soon. Robbie, Raoul and George were there too, and Maria of course, who was currently crying into her hankie. They only person missing according to Christine was Meg. She had tried to call her numerous times over the past few weeks, but she had ignored all her calls. Perhaps she should forgive her, thought Christine. After all, everything had worked out for the best in the long run. At that moment however, Meg or anyone other than Erik were out of her mind.

"I love you." She mouthed as she reached him, and he took her hands in his. Yes, everything had worked out wonderfully in the end, and she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with this wonderful man, who had truly made her realise that true beauty does indeed lie in the eye of the beholder.

..........

**_I told you it would be fluffy. As I said I will write an epilogue if you review, so please please please please review!!! They really do make me so happy to read, even if it's just a word or two. I know you're reading it, I can see you! (not literally, just on the hits page). Anyway, please review, and you will recieve a lovely epilogue. Perhaps you could say in a review what you would like in the epilogue. I am thinking a scene from a few years from now. I do hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. *kisses*  
_**


	25. Chapter 25

_Well guys this is it. I am so sad that this story is over, but also happy that i actually finished it! Whoop!! Without further ado, I bring you the long awaited epilogue. Enjoy!_

Christine finished singing to rapturous applause from the audience, who were crammed into the small bar. Over the past year she had become well known at the Piano Room and many people came just to hear her sing. The impact of this success made Christine feel elated for the most part, if a little overwhelmed. Only the other night she had been approached by a talent scout, who had tried to encourage her to join his record label, and become a professional singer. He had told her that she was far too good to remain singing in a bar forever. Christine had been flattered, but considering her present state, a singing career was not the best of moves. At three months pregnant she was still quite small, and able to sing without any difficulty, but she knew that soon she would barely be able to stand up, let alone sing. Erik had been worrying constantly about her pregnancy, and had been reluctant to let her continue singing at the bar at all. After a long discussion, she had been able to persuade him to let her continue at least up until she started to show. Now that was happening, she found that she would actually be grateful for the rest. She would never admit it but she was a lot more tired after her performances than she used to be, and she was looking forward to going to bed more and more each night.

Erik was waiting for her when she stepped down from the platform where she sung, and she went straight into his arms as she always did. They never seemed to be able to refrain from touching or kissing each other for very long. Christine could not believe how happy she was, and it was all down to the man beside her. The past year had been like a dream only she never woke up.

"You were amazing tonight, my love." He said as he kissed her soundly. "You look tired though. I think you need to go to bed and get some rest." He leaned back and looked at her, his green eyes gazing over her, looking concerned.

"Whatever you think, darling." She smiled as she leaned into him. He handed her a rose as they moved into her dressing room. It was a tradition of theirs that he would give her a rose after every performance, and he hadn't forgotten once.

"Thank you." She smiled, and kissed him, before grabbing her coat and bag and closing the door to the room.

People often wanted to talk to her after her performance, and usually Erik let them, even though he hated it. The men could be especially annoying, and he wanted to drag her away from them cave man style over his back. Usually he refrained from this, due to Christine's annoyance at such behaviour, but tonight he was having none of it. She really did look a lot more tired than normal tonight, and he wanted nothing more than to get her home and safely into bed. If he had his way, tonight would be her last performance until after she had the baby. He would talk with her later and make her see reason. She was so precious to him, and couldn't bare it if something were to happen to her.

When she had first told him she was pregnant his first reaction had been joy, followed swiftly by downright terror. He had no idea how to cope with a pregnant woman, and even less about coping with a child. Christine had assured him that she was fine, and that she was equally nervous about how to look after a child. Over the past few months they had both read what felt like every baby book on the planet in preparation, and Erik was feeling slightly better about the situation. The only worry he had now was that the child could look like him. He had spoken about his worries to Christine, and although she had insisted that it didn't matter to her and that she would love their Child no matter what he or she looked like it still troubled him. He knew that Christine was nothing like his own mother but would she be able to cope with a less than perfect child, and even if she could, the world could be a cruel place, especially to those it deemed as different.

All in all Christine was progressing well, and pregnancy definitely suited her. She had an inner glow about her that made her look even more beautiful than ever. As they walked out of the building towards the car he felt such an overwhelming surge of love for her that he had to stop her just so he could kiss her.

"I love you so much." He whispered as he released her lips, his eyes glowing with passion. His hand began to massage her slightly extended stomach under her thick coat. He could not get enough of her and the thought of his child growing inside of her was the most arousing thing he could imagine.

She smiled, her eyes slightly closed as she leaned in closer towards him, swaying slightly.

"Christine, you are shattered. You are going straight to bed when we get home." He said forcefully, as he helped her into the car.

"Only if you join me too." She said, grinning at him seductively as he sat next to her in the driving seat.

"I said you needed rest." He laughed at her expression of disgruntled disappointment.

"You know I can't sleep if you're not there." She said, her voice pleading and her lips pouting.

"We will both go to bed then." He gave her a quick kiss before setting off down the street.

"I talked to kamir earlier, and we both decided tonight was your last performance." He said after a few minutes. "You are officially on maternity leave now."

"It might have been nice to run that past me." Christine said grumpily.

"You said that you would stop when you started to show, and you have been showing for well over two weeks now."

She gave him a withering look, but didn't argue. If she was honest she was looking forward to not working and as much as she loved to sing, having her evenings free again would be wonderful.

As they drove toward home, Christine began to think over how much her life had changed over the past year. She was now happily married to the man of her dreams, and pregnant with their first child. She had always wanted to be a mother, and now that dream was coming true. Not only were her dreams finally coming to fruition, but those of the ones closest to her. After she and Erik had got back from their honeymoon in France, she had made contact with Meg, and after a long conversation she had decided to forgive her for what she had done. They were now better friends than ever, and Meg had made quite a success at her modelling career. Of course she was not with Alexia's agency, which strangely enough had gone bust within the past few months. Apparently she had many unpaid depts, which along with her glamorous lifestyle had been the cause of her bankruptcy. He hadn't said anything outright to her, but Christine suspected Erik may have had something to do with the destruction of her agency. Apparently she could now be found working behind the counter at a local clothes shop. The thought of how much she would hate this gigantic step down in er career made Christine feel satisfied. On a somewhat brighter note, Kamir and Gloria's relationship was still going strong, much to Christine's annoyance. Even if she hated to admit it, she hadn't seen her mother this happy in a very long time, and she only hoped it lasted and she didn't end up with a broken heart all over again.

When they arrived home Erik ushered her straight up the stairs saying he would join her in a few minutes. She wanted to protest but she really was very tired, and bed was starting to look very inviting.

She prepared for bed, and was under the covers when Erik came into the room. As he slid in next to her, she turned over and curled her body into his.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now." He said as he kissed her forehead.

"I was waiting for you." She murmured, as she attempted to burrow even closer to him. His warm body was wonderful at heating up the previously cold bed.

"Good night, my angel." He whispered as he wrapped his arm securely around her, his hand resting on her stomach.

"Night." Now that he was next to her she allowed the sleepiness that had been nagging her all day to finally overtake her, and she fell asleep in the arms of the man she loved.

...........

Christine was curled up on the sofa, or at least as curled up as she could be seeing as she was almost nine months pregnant. Erik had gone into the kitchen a few minutes ago to make her current favourite meal of jalapeño peppers and chocolate ice cream. He found her constantly changing cravings both hilarious and disgusting. He would always make them for her never the less, and would still kiss her, even during the raw garlic phase, which thankfully had now finished.

Overall she had been progressing well with her pregnancy, and they had had no major problems. For the past month however, she was getting increasingly more uncomfortable, and now she wanted her pregnancy to be over, and for her child to be born. They had decided against finding out about the sex of the child, wanting to be surprised. After many arguments over names, they had decided that Christine would name it if it was a girl, and Erik would if it was a boy. Their child would therefore be either Callie or Andrew, and Christine and Erik were both happy with either names.

She was just about to ask him to bring the tomato ketchup with him when she felt something wet seep underneath her. Straight away she knew what it was, and she called urgently for Erik.

"Erik, it's started!"

"Alright, I'll be in in a second!" He called back, sounding completely unfazed. This reaction was not what she expected. Throughout her entire pregnancy he had been very over protective and concerned over every single aspect. She had expected that the news of her going into labour would have evoked a stronger reaction from him.

"Erik!" She called again, as she felt what must be the first of her contractions in her stomach. "Please, it's starting now!"

He appeared at the door, looking confused. "Christine, it's not on until seven."

"I'm not talking about the television!" She shouted. "I mean I'm in labour!"

Erik stared at her for around five seconds, before bounding towards her. "Oh my God! Are you alright? Are you about to give birth?" He looked positively crazed as he knelt beside her.

"Not yet. Erik you need to calm down. Do you remember all that the mid wife told us? I am fine for the moment, but we need to go to the hospital."

She tried to stand up, but Erik lifted her up himself and into his arms.

Christine couldn't help but giggle. "Erik, put me down, I weigh a ton. I can stand up on my own." He reluctantly placed her back on her feet.

"Erik, will you go and get the bag?"

He looked confused for a few seconds before appearing to come to his senses. "Right, the bag. Wait here!" He called as he raced up the stairs to get the bag with all Christine would need for the hospital. They had organised everything the previous week for when she went into labour and Erik had thought he would be able to cope with it perfectly well, but now that it was happening, he had no idea what to do.

When he located the bag, he raced down the stairs to find Christine pulling on her coat by the front door.

"Are you sure you are alright?" He asked, as he almost tripped over coming down the last of the steps.

"I'm fine." She giggled. "Good, you found it. Now are you sure you can drive? You look a bit stressed."

"Don't mind about me! How are you? Have you had any contractions yet?"

"Just the one." she smiled at his panicked expression. She was handling this situation a lot better than her husband was, and she dreaded to think how he was going to handle the final stages of her labour. She managed to usher him outside towards the car after assuring him once again that she could walk by herself. Once in the car she called the hospital to let them know that they were coming, and at last they set off.

...............

Christine screamed in pain once more as another contraction ripped through her body. She had heard about child birth nonstop for the past nine months, but noting could have prepared for the agony of the reality of it. She honestly didn't know how she would have coped with it if Erik hadn't been there holding her hand the whole time.

"Come on Christine, breathe." He said as she squeezed his hand almost to breaking point. "You can do it my darling. Just one more push."

"I can't." She wailed tears and sweat pouring down her face. She was so tired and couldn't find the energy to make that last push that would bring their child into the world.

"Yes you can, Christine." Erik kissed her forehead, and rubbed her back, encouraging her. "It's almost over."

Erik could not bear seeing his wife in so much pain, and would have done anything to take it away onto himself. Right now she needed him to be strong for her, so he tried his best to remain calm all through her labour, even though all he wanted was to rage at someone and make her pain stop. This was something completely out of his power, and all he could do was comfort and encourage her as much as he could.

As Christine screwed up her eyes and pushed with every last ounce of strength she had left, she heard a piercing scream which was not her own, and at long last, after 14 hours of labour, their child was born.

"You have a boy." Said the midwife. "We will just get him cleaned up and then you can hold him." She moved over to the other side of the room.

Christine was so anxious to see her baby that she didn't notice the wary voice of the midwife or the exchanged looks from the nurses in the room. She craned her neck, trying to see him, but the mid wife's back was blocking her view.

Erik had seen the child straight away, and knew that all his fears over the past few months had come true. The deformity that plagued his own face also marred the face of his new born son. He felt dread seep into his veins as the baby was taken away to be cleaned and wrapped in a blanket. He knew instantly that he loved this child already and nothing would ever change that, but what would Christine think? She had accepted him, but only after weeks of not really seeing what he really looked like, and growing to love the real him as she always put it. Would she be able to accept that the child he had given her was not perfect either? What if she grew to hate him because their child was deformed like him? The thought was too much for him to bear, and he felt terror mixed with despair fill him inside.

"Where is my baby?" Christine cried. She wanted to see her child more than anything at that moment. Why were they taking so long? "Erik, will you get him for me?"

Erik felt lost in her pleading eyes, and longed to do what she asked, but the longer she didn't know the better in his opinion. He didn't want to see the horror in her eyes that he was so used to seeing from others when they looked at him. It would be so much worse coming from her and towards their child, who he already loved fiercely.

When the nurse brought the squealing infant towards Christine, she opened her arms eagerly towards her, and she took the bundle of blankets towards her and looked at her son for the first time. Her face instantly broke into a huge grin as she leaned forward to kiss his tiny forehead.

"Oh, Erik." She sighed, as she looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Isn't he the most beautiful baby you have ever seen in your entire life?"

As Erik looked at his beautiful wife holding their child in his arms, he felt all his fears evaporate instantly. "Yes, he is." He said as he leaned in to kiss her lips. "He's perfect."

THE END

**_I want to thank everybody who has read this story and an extra special thankyou to all you reviewers. You make me happy to read my emails! Please do leave me more reviews (pretty please!), and if you haven't left a review before then please do now, seeing as it was the last chapter :). _**

**_I tried my best to tie up any loose strings in this, but if you think of anything I missed do tell me and I'll try to put it right. I do hope you enjoyed this story, and if you don't already know, I have a new story up called The phantom of Longford house. It is very different from this story, but still EC (as if I would ever do anything different!). Please do give it a look and let me know what you think. once again, thank you so much for reading (and reviewing!).  
_**


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